The Best Things in the World Must be Felt with the Heart
by so lost so broken
Summary: The Argent family has been kidnapping and illegally selling Omegas for years. When FBI Agent Derek Hale and his team raid their home to find and rescue the tons of Omegas, thats all Derek expects to be doing. What he doesnt expect is to find his own mate chained up with the rest of them. Seeing the Omega severly sick and injured, Derek is determined to nurse him back to health.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Summary: The Argent family has been kidnapping and illegally selling Omega's for years. When FBI Agent Derek Hale and his team go and raid their home to find and rescue the dozens of Omega's, that's all Derek expects to be doing. What he doesn't expect is to find his own mate chained up with the rest of them. Seeing the Omega severely sick and injured, Derek is determined to nurse him back to health, no matter how long it takes.**

**Author's Notes: *Nervously peeks head out from behind curtain* Um, hi there! Sooo, I've never actually written a story for Teen Wolf before, but this little scenario all started out as a dream I had one night, and I just felt like the story needed to be told. I really hope it doesn't suck too badly. The Teen Wolf fandom is my absolute favorite, so I really wouldn't want to disappoint anyone. I feel like this is going to be a semi-longish story, but I happen to be a college student, and that means I have lots of papers to write that come before this fun stuff (unfortunately), so if I go a while without posting a new chapter, I swear I didn't abandon this. It just means that I have been busy. And going off of that, I can't really promise that the chapters will be all that long, either, but I will try my hardest! Anyway, thank you for reading this, and I hope you at least somewhat enjoy this fic! *Awkwardly bows before proceeding to run off stage in fear***

**XOXOXOXO**

Everything was chaos.

About a dozen cop cars and ambulances were lined up on both sides of the street, their bright red and blue lights flashing wildly as they blocked the entrance to the Argent Estate. Dark FBI vehicles were scattered across the lush, green lawn, making it obvious to the neighborhood and it's nosy people that there was some type of highly illegal bust taking place.

The moon was high in the sky, illuminating the darkness around the law enforcement officers in an eerie, calm glow. It's radiance was the exact opposite of the present environment. Derek frowned slightly at the irony, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans before re-gripping the gun in his hands.

"Steady your aim," Lydia commanded all the gunsmen, the lethal tint to her voice showing the utmost signs of a severely strained Chief. "I want their bodies to hit the ground the second they come running out."

A buzz of white noise sounded before the voice of Scott McCall broke through the headpiece settled in Derek's ear. "We managed to break in through the back and scare them towards the front. They're armed with weapons. I _repeat_: they're armed with weapons."

There was a collective tensing of every body outside, some gripping their guns tighter, others falling to their knees in a poised-to-kill stance. Derek exhaled heavily through his nose, a large sense of calm flowing through his body. He learned to cherish moments like these, for he knew that that calm would be completely blown to smithereens in the next couple of minutes, overtaken by a large spike of adrenaline that would rush through his veins.

"Hale, be careful in there," Lydia warned as he crouched closer to the doors of the large house. "They may have accomplices hiding in there."

Derek chuckled darkly. "I didn't sign up for this job for it's safety benefits, Martin. I can handle anyone who gets in my way."

"I don't need you to be all cutsie, Hale. I just need you to get in there alive and find those omega's. And for the love of christ, _try _not to frighten them. Lord knows what those Argent bastards did to them."

Before Derek could respond with a snarky remark, the front doors opened with a loud bang, revealing an older man who looked to be in his 60's or 70's, and a young, blonde-haired woman who couldn't have been much older than 25. _Gerard and Kate Argent, _Derek's mind supplied him. Everyone in the state of California knew their names, for they had been on the run for the last few years. It was rumored that they had been kidnapping and illegally selling omega's for _years_, but nobody had actually been able to prove it, for no one actually knew of the omegas' locations. Until now.

As the two stumbled through the door, the sound of gunshots resonated through the air. Neither of the Argent's had gotten the chance to fire their own weapons before their bodies were being jolted by a spray of bullets tearing through their flesh. Kate's body fell right away as a bullet tore through her forehead, bright-red blood spilling out to coat her blonde curls. A wet gurgle escaped from her lips as her body stilled. Gerard stayed on his feet for as long as he could, which was a little under 10 seconds. He then fell to his knees as he tried to aim his gun with a shaky hand, pointing it at one of the officers on his right.

Derek reacted quickly, his sharp reflexes urging him to aim perfectly and pull the trigger. The bullet tore through the skin of Gerard's throat, severing his vocal chords and letting him bleed out on the grass as he slumped over, gun falling out of his limp hand.

Derek took that as his cue to get moving. He walked swiftly through the door, gun held steady and ready to fire if he caught sight of any of Gerard's accomplices. He couldn't detect anyone else in the house with his keen Werewolf hearing, other than the faint, muffled voices of McCall and a few others trying to make their way towards him.

As he rounded a corner to his right, he moved quickly down a hallway which led him to a large, spacious living room. His lip curled in disgust as his eyes scanned the room, taking in the expensive looking furniture and decor. Framed photo's lined ever inch of the wall's, telling stories about the generations of succesful Argent's whom had lived there before. There were a few statues made of pure gold lining the walls, making it obvious that the Argent's were not afraid to let their wealth be known. It sickened Derek knowing exactly where their money had been coming from.

He was about to turn around and head back the other way, but a noise made him stop in his tracks. It had been a quiet, almost muffled noise, but it had still been a noise nonetheless. His ears strained to pick up where it had come from, his heart beating wildly with the hope that he would find the omega's and-

There it was again.

Derek dropped his protective stance in exchange for shoving his gun in it's holster. He tilted his head back slightly and sniffed at the air, trying to catch any scent of Omega that he could. He held back a growl of frustration upon smelling nothing but stale perfume and faint cigar smoke. He ran a hand through his hair as his eyes scanned the room, trying to figure out where the noise had come from.

He was close, that much he knew. He could _feel _it. It made his palms itch and his wolf squirm restlessly underneath his skin. He was supposed to be a _Werewolf _for christ sake. Scoping out things like this was supposed to be his specialty. Instead of answers, all he got was frustration. The smiling photo's on the wall's all seemed to be laughing at him, _taunting _him for not living up to Werewolf standards. What good was he if-

Derek's eyes widened, jerking his gaze up from the spot on the floor he had been glaring a hole into. His eyes scanned the photo's on the wall, his suspicion increasing tenfold. He walked towards the pictures until his nose was nothing but a few inches away. He didn't give it another thought before he shoved a handful of the pictures off the walls, not feeling one bit of guilt as he heard some of the glass shatter. He kept shoving and scratching at the photo's until he found what he was looking for.

A hidden door.

Of course. Hiding in plain sight. If Gerard Argent hadn't been such a psychotic fuck, Derek may have given him a few points for creativity.

"Whoa. Nice job, Hale," McCall's voice informs, sounding almost fascinated. A few more of their co-workers shuffle into the room, guns out and ready to shoot. Scott nods his head towards the door and it's flat keyhole. "Is there a key somewhere?"

Derek gives him The Eyebrow, hoping it conveys the question of, _Are you a complete and utter moron? _Scott just blinks at him, a confused look on his face.

"McCall, I'm not sure if you've noticed or not but _we're werewolves. _We don't need a fucking key," Derek growls. The blush that forms on Scott's cheeks makes Derek feel triumphant. He shoots a dark look towards the rest of his team. "Put those damn weapons down. They'll be scared enough as it is."

They all quickly obeyed, a few of them fumbling nervously under Derek's sharp gaze.

"We ready?" Derek questioned, voice low and lethal.

"Ready." The reply was weak, but none of them were lying.

Derek grit his teeth and slammed into the door with the side of his body. The structure made a groaning noise beneath his weight, but did not give way. Derek inhaled deeply through his nose as he backed up a step, bracing himself once more as he threw his weight against the door. There was a sharp, cracking noise as the thick, wooden door broke off the hinge.

Derek caught himself before he stumbled forwards, kicking hard at the un-even door with his heel. It clattered to the floor loudly, allowing Derek to look down what appeared to be a narrow, dark hallway. He surged forward, hearing small distressed noises echoing through the hall. As he neared a small, rickety stairwell, a collage of smells assaulted his nose; the spicy scent of fear, the acidic smell of vomit, the sharp, rotting scent of _death_. The worst part was that those were nowhere _near _the only smells permeating from the basement. There were so many different types of scent's wafting through the air that Derek felt a little light-headed.

A crinkle formed between his brow as he frowned, tilting his head back a little to sniff the air. Besides the obvious sorrowful scents seeping through his nose, he could detect the slightest trace of something lighter, something sweeter. Something _good_. It made his arms break out in goosebumps. It was unlike anything he'd ever smelt before. It was _better. Much _better.

As Derek and his fellow co-workers thumped down the rotting stairwell, Derek forced himself to concentrate on swallowing the excess saliva that had flooded his mouth. Despite the fact that he was supposed to be on a serious mission, he couldn't help but continue to drag in lungful's of the soft, sweet scent.

It drove his wolf mad.

His wolf wanted nothing more than to spring forth and hunt down the scent, curl protectively around it, snap viciously at anyone who tried to touch it. The scent was _his. _It belonged to _him. _Nobody else. And if anyone tried to get in the way of him and the delicious scent, Derek would not hesitate to kill-

Derek stopped dead in his tracks, eyes going wide in shock. He heard the confused sounds his fellow agents made as they were forced to a stop behind him, but their voices sounded far away as a high-pitched ringing filled his ears, making him feel dizzy. His mouth felt suddenly dry as a feeling of fear crept up his spine.

He knew the others could smell his sudden despair. Usually he was able to mask his personal feelings and scent's rather well, but this time he didn't give a damn. His brain was too busy going into shock to even consider hiding his fear from them.

"-erek? Derek!"

Derek growled lowly at the hand gripping his bicep, turning his head to see Scott staring at him with wide, confused eyes.

"Derek, what's wrong?" Scott whispered, pulling his hand back. He swallowed visibly, flickering his eyes back and forth between Derek and the rest of his squad. His eyes widened after a few moments, a crinkle of worry forming between his eyebrows. "Derek, your eyes are red."

Derek let out another low growl, trying to keep his fangs from expanding as he pulled in another whiff of the sweet scent. It was getting harder to control his own body, for his wolf was trying with all it's might to make him move towards the smell. He was trying as hard as he could to keep back the large howl that threatened to burst out of his lungs.

"Derek, your hands!" Scott cried, catching sight of the blood oozing out from between the Alpha's clenched fists.

"Take over, Scott," Derek bit out through clenched teeth, his fangs winning his battle of will and tearing into his bottom lip. He could feel his eyes flickering back and forth from their natural color to red.

"But, D-derek," Scott stuttered. "I don't... I don't under-" Scott stopped abruptly, his brown eyes filling with unspoken knowledge.

Derek watched as realization flooded Scott's facial features, the look of pure sadness making Derek's wolf whine mournfully.

Scott looked from Derek, towards the hallway ahead of them, then back to Derek.

"Derek, no," Scott whispered, shaking his head in sorrow. "That's fucked. That's _so _fucked."

"Just take over, McCall," Derek ordered gruffly, thanking every god above that for once he didn't need to spell it out for the younger man.

Scott gave a curt nod before saying, "Go find 'em, Hale."

Almost as if he had been waiting for someones permission, Derek dropped all of his thoughts about Lydia's orders and bolted forward. The only mission his mind and body had at the moment was to find the smell. Find the person whom the smell belonged to.

Find his_ mate._

At the thought of the word 'mate,' he let his wolf loose, allowing it to let out a loud, viscious snarl which echoed loudly off the dusty walls. His feet pounded beneath him as he barreled down the hallway, body running on the pure adrenaline coursing through his veins. Taking a sharp left as the hallway curved, he stopped running with a sudden jolt, his wolf momentarily too stunned to move.

Hanging on the wall to his right were half a dozen tazers, iron chains and handcuffs, a cubby with a couple of syringes sitting on it, and four small vials filled with wolfsbane. But the worst part was the overwhelming stench of rot and death permeating the air, making a small, wounded whine escape through Derek's teeth.

There was a small archway in front of him, a thick, heavy, plastic curtain-like-thing hanging down from the ceiling and separating him from the omega's on the other side. Their sharp cries and loud whimpers could be heard easily, making Derek's stomach tie itself in knots. A small part of him didn't even want to look at what atrocities waited behind the curtain, but his wolf made the decision for him, making him stumble forward and push through the plastic curtain.

An angry growl was ripped from his throat at the sight before him. There had to be at least eighty omegas, if not more, chained up to the walls and hitching posts by both their hands and their feet, the iron holds only allowing them a few inches of free space. As far as Derek could tell, every single one of them were completely naked, no sign of blankets or clothing anywhere. That fact was even worse considering the room was made out of stone walls and concrete floor, which were both bound to get quite cold, especially considering the chill already running through the air.

The floors were a complete mess. Derek could spot old, dark blood stains on the floor, along with more recent piss stains. Fecal matter was everywhere; on the floors, on the walls, dried onto some of the omegas' skin. Chunks of dried vomit were spotted in several locations. The combined, putrid scent made Derek gag.

Upon seeing the wolfed out alpha, the omegas all reacted differently. Some tried to shrink back against the wall as much as possible. A couple of brave ones let out tiny growls, flashing their yellow eyes at him. One female omega close by him let out a small mewl, panting heavily as she turned around and presented to him, wiggling her ass enticingly. She was clearly in the midst of going through heat. And _that _was how bad the smell was in the room. Even with his severely heightened senses, he couldn't pick out the scent of an omega in heat, even though it was supposed to be the most appealing scent to an alpha.

He heard the outraged cries of his fellow colleagues behind him, letting Derek know they were really close. A wave of fierce protectiveness rolled through his body at the thought of the other men getting closer. Though the majority of them were beta's, his wolf didn't care. It was just one more person who could potentially harm his mate.

Derek tipped his head back, sniffing the air to try and detect where his mate was. He caught the slightest whiff of something soft and sweet, allowing his nose and feet to guide him. Ignoring the high, needy whines of the omega's around him, he moved briskly down the rows, stepping over legs and outstretched arms. Towards the back of the room, there looked to be two hallways, one going left and the other going right, giving the entire room the shape of a T. Derek's senses led him to turn left, where he stopped and stared in shock.

There were only two omegas chained to the back wall, excluding them from the presence of the omegas in the main room. One of them had blonde hair and glowing blue eyes, fangs and claws extended as he growled surprisingly deeply at Derek. The one next to him was not a werewolf at all, but instead a human omega, which was considered to be a rare thing. He was slumped over and looked to be severely malnourished by the way his bones jutted out underneath his skin. Derek could count the ribs under the pale, creamy flesh, causing his wolf to let out a sharp, mournful whine.

_That was him_.

That was Derek's mate. The little human.

Derek reined in his wolf, ridding himself of his glowing eyes and fangs before dropping to his knees with a thud. He crawled quickly towards his unconscious mate, heart beating erratically in his chest. He was less than a few feet away from touching the small body for the first time, when the other omega growled loudly at him once more.

A responding growl of his own started rumbling in his chest, but was cut off when the blue-eyed omega tried lunging at him, only to be stopped by the chains holding him back.

"Haven't you guys done enough to him?" the omega spat out through clenched teeth. "If you wanna fuck with somebody, why don't you pick me, huh?"

Derek just looked at him for a few moments, understanding that he was not a threat. He was just trying to protect Derek's mate, making Derek feel slightly grateful.

"I don't want to hurt him," Derek said in a gruff voice, eyes sweeping up and down his mate's small form. He felt his blood boil at the sight of his mate's right leg. There was no doubt that it was broken from the way it stuck out at the wrong angle. "God, that's the last thing I would ever do."

"Who are you?" the blonde demanded, his facial expression sour. "You don't look like the others."

"That's because I'm _not_," Derek growled. "I'm FBI agent Derek Hale. My squad and I just raided this house. The people who were holding you captive are dead, and there's dozens of people waiting outside to come in and help you all." Derek cast his look back towards his mate, hard eyes softening. "And I'm here to help _him_."

"You're his alpha, aren't you?"

Derek swallowed thickly and nodded. "_God, _he looks so much worse than the others." Then, with trembling fingers, he proceeded to reach towards the frail wrist of his mate, lightly encircling it in his hand. God, his skin was so cold. It was a wonder why the poor thing wasn't shivering.

Derek released the boys wrist and quickly shrugged the thick, black jacket off of his own shoulders. He wasted no time in covering his mate's body with it, the size of it settling over the frail torso and his exposed private areas, stopping at mid-thigh. He was _so small _compared to Derek.

With his wolf satisfied that the boy was properly covered, Derek once more grasped a bony wrist, thumb sliding beneath the metal cuff on his wrist with a little difficulty. With a small growl, he brought his other hand up, grabbed the cuff, then easily snapped it in two, the metal clanging loudly to the floor. The skin on his mate's wrist where the metal had dug into was badly bruised, a dark blackish-blue color. Most likely from pulling at the restraints so frequently. He quickly gave the same treatment to the other wrist, as well as his mate's ankles.

Derek looked towards the blonde omega, who was watching him with a cautious gaze.

_He's making sure you're not going to hurt your mate_, his mind supplied. He wasn't sure whether to respect the omega, or whether to growl at him for not trusting his actions around his own mate.

"Do you know his name?" Derek asked, vaguely aware of the echoed shouts of other agents and policeman bouncing off the musky walls. "Maybe he'll wake if I talk to him."

The omega slowly shook his head no, a sad look gathering in his eyes.

"He told me to call him Stiles, but I'm willing to bet that's a nickname." The omega paused for a second, swallowing thickly. "And I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I don't think he's gonna wake up. Hasn't for almost a week."

Derek was about to demand what he meant, but the smallest whiff of a scent made his stomach drop.

The subtle smell was very familiar, for he had caught the same fetid scent on his human aunt who had died of cancer a few years ago.

_No_.

Derek shook his head in horror. "No," he whispered. "I... I _just _found him. I've waited twenty-five years for this moment, waited _so long _to fucking _find_ him, and now he's..." Derek swallowed thickly, a long, mournful whine escaping his throat.

"Dying," the omega supplied in a voice devoid of all emotion. "He's dying."

"I know," Derek hissed, eyes flaring red. "I can fucking _smell _it on him."

"That's why they broke his leg, you know," the omega went on. "To try and trigger his healing process. He may be a human, but he's still got healing abilities. Not as great or as fast as ours, but they're still there. The last thing they would want to do is sell a dying omega."

A feral growl ripped from Derek's throat, causing the omega to roll his eyes. Derek shuffled forward, carefully slipping one arm behind his mate's back and the other underneath his knees, gently scooping the omega up into his arms. The younger boy's head lolled to the side and rested in the crook of Derek's neck, making the alpha extremely worried about the barely-there puffs of breath ghosting across his skin.

"I've gotta get him to the hospital," Derek speculated, just about to push himself into a standing position. "He needs help immediately."

"You've gotta be shitting me," the omega stated, causing Derek to give him a dirty look. The blonde omega crossed his arms over his chest and glared right back at the alpha. "What, you think _they _can fucking help him? Help a human boy who's three-quarters of the way dead from cancer?"

"What the fuck am I _supposed _to do?" hissed Derek, eyes flaring as he hugged the cold body to his chest. "Just let him fucking die right here in my arms? I'm not giving up on him, damn it. He's still alive right now, and as long as he's breathing, there's a chance he'll survive."

"Christ, I'm not saying you should let him _die. _Don't get your tail in a fucking twist," the blonde spat out, blue eyes shooting Derek an 'are-you-really-this-stupid?' look. "Haven't you ever heard about the claiming bite? About how it can sometimes heal even the sickest of people? _Including _said people with cancer? Christ, are you alphas this clueless all the time?"

Derek furrowed his brow, faintly re-calling someone telling him that once. But that was just it. He had heard about it _once._ Once his entire _life._ That meant it was more than likely a once in a lifetime deal.

"You're more likely to win the lottery than have the claiming bite cure you," Derek said bitterly. "Not to mention, both mates need to be fully comprehensive. If you haven't noticed, he's not exactly awake."

"I understand that," the omega growled out before a suddenly serious look took over his facial features. The next words he spoke were in a much lower voice, almost as if he were trying to keep anyone else from overhearing. "Just hear me out for a second. For your normal, everyday claiming bite, it's only the alpha who bites the omega, right? And that cures somebody who's sick once in a blue moon. But the thing is, people don't understand that the _real _power is in the omega's bite. You bite them, then they bite you, and your combined bond _will _work. Just trust me."

Derek just stared at the omega for a few seconds, letting the information process.

"And, who are you exactly?" he questioned after his moment of silence.

"Jackson. Jackson Whittemore," the omega-_Jackson-_replied. "I've been doing these kind of, well, _studies_, I guess you could call them. Most alpha's won't let their omega bite them back. Apparently it's a sign of _weakness_ or some bullshit on the alpha's part. But what they don't know it that new tests are being released to the press, saying that an exchange of a bite between Alpha and Omega can not only cure an omega, but _also _an Alpha, if need be. Now, you tell me if you still want to take him to a hospital that's just going to _kill _him, or if you want to _really _save him."

"Look, Jackson," Derek sighed. "I believe what you're saying, all right? I really do. I would let him bite me back in a heartbeat if it meant seeing him alive. But like I said before, we both need to be comprehensive. If I take him to the hospital first, they can probably get him to at least wake up. Then when he's responsive I can take him-"

Jackson's scoff cut him off. "What, you actually think they're going to let you just take him and leave when he wakes up? No. They're gonna want to do tests and inject him with so many different fluids and chemicals that he's not going to even _smell _like yours anymore. They'll do it even though they'll already know what's wrong with him. He'll die there in a cold bed all alone. Is that really what you fucking want? Because I know for damn sure you won't be allowed in the room with him. He doesn't have the bite on his neck, so they'll tell you to fuck off, say you don't have the right to be there with him."

Derek whined high in his throat, the back of his eyelids starting to sting with the familiar feeling of tears about to fall. His nose gently nuzzled the brown hair belonging to his omega, inhaling his soft, precious scent.

"Ok," he whispered, voice rough with emotion. "I won't take him to a hospital. But... but how am I going to wake him? If he hasn't woken in a week, then what can I do differently?"

Jackson narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the right, the tiniest hint of a smile pulling at his lips. "You tell me. You're an FBI agent, for christ sake. You always have people on speed-dial. Are you really telling me that there's nobody you can call to help you figure it out?"

Derek's mind raced, filtering through all of the people on his contact list. He made sure his hold on his omega was strong before he reached into his pocket with one hand, grasping the hard, smooth material that was his phone and pulling it out. He quickly flipped it open, looking under his contacts tab. He scrolled furiously through the list, not seeing anybody who could be of help. That was, until he came to a certain name.

His eyes flickered to Jackson's questioning ones, the omega holding his gaze even as a fellow FBI member bustled over and tried to get Jackson's hands and feet free.

"Yeah," Derek spoke up, voice filled with hope. "Yeah, I think I know someone who can help." With that, the thumb hovering over the 'call' button pressed down firmly. He held it up to his ear, heart beating rapidly in his chest as it rang and rang.

After what felt like an hour, a voice crackled to life on the other end, momentarily stunning Derek with relief. He quickly shook himself out of his stupor before declaring in an urgent voice, "Hey, Deaton. It's Derek Hale. I was hoping you could do me a favor."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Holy cow you guys! I was seriously blown away by all of the comments and kudos that this fic got for it only being the first chapter! Like, I seriously understand why there are so many fics for Teen Wolf now, and it's all because you are all super awesome! No joke! This fic has almost 3,000 hits! That makes me sooo happy! You guys are freaking awesome! Haha, sorry for repeating myself, but I just got so flattered and excited. I really wish there was a fanfiction class in college... So anyways, I'll stop yapping and let you read the next chapter. I hope it's as good as the first!**

**Also, a quick note! I really don't have the first clue about anything when it comes to medical stuff other than the things I've read online or seen on tv. So if you see something that doesn't seem quite right, let me know in the comments and I will do my best to change it!**

**XOXOXOXO**

Pulling into the familiar parking lot of his condominium, Derek quickly pulled into his usual spot, gritting his teeth as the car lurched to a hard stop. He instinctively flung an arm out to press his hand to his unconcious mates chest, making sure he wasn't jarred. Earlier, Derek had made sure to buckle him in safely before speeding off down the road, but he didn't want to take the chance of any more possible pain being inflicted upon the omega.

He quickly got out of his camaro, rushing to the passenger door and yanking it open. He cast a brief look around the parking lot, trying to spot Deaton's white van. As if on cue, the vehicle rolled into the parking lot, pulling up right next to Derek's car.

The doctor/vet/family friend had listened to Derek's frantic message earlier and agreed to help, telling Derek not to worry. They agreed to meet at Derek's condo, Deaton saying he would be bringing some supplies with him. After Derek had hung up with the vet, he had quickly thanked the snarky omega, Jackson, before making his way out of the house. He had recieved some questioning gazes, but he had snarled at anyone who tried to get in his way, his mind thinking only of getting his mate to his car. The ride to his home had been a bit of a blur between casting worried glances towards the passenger seat and trying to obey the speed limits. The important thing was that they had both arrived safely.

"Derek," Deaton greeted in a monotone voice. As he stepped out of the van, he lifted a large, black bag onto his shoulder. It looked like it weighed a lot, but if it did, Deaton's face didn't give anything away. "Let's get him inside your house. He should be as comfortable as he possibly can be."

Derek nodded once sharply, bending down to gather the sleeping boy in his arms. He tried as hard as he could to not bump his broken leg too much, but it was an inevitable task. His wolf whined at every small movement that bumped the broken leg, so as he kicked his door shut, he adjusted his grip on one of the bare, cold thighs and started to take away the pain. He hissed as the sharp pain was absorbed into his body, the steady flow of it not stopping for a while until it was all gone. He sighed in relief as the small body relaxed slightly in his arms.

"There you go," Derek whispered into the omegas hairline as he started walking towards the large doors. "I bet that feels better, huh?"

As the two men approached the main entrance, Derek looked towards Deaton.

"You're going to have to let us in. I've kind of got my hands full," Derek pointed out. "My key ring is clipped onto my belt buckle. There's a card attached to it that you have to swipe through the card slot. Then it'll open."

Deaton nodded, plucking the key ring off of Derek's belt with quick fingers. He grasped the card and walked up to the door, swiping it through the slot. A small light above the door flickered green as a clicking noise was heard, giving them the go ahead. Once inside the building, Derek walked determindly through the exorbitant lobby, his mind only focused on getting to the elevator.

As the elevator announced it's arrival with a ding, the two stepped inside. Derek managed to press the button for the tenth floor, looking towards Deaton as the doors closed.

"Thanks for doing this on such short notice," Derek thanked.

"Don't thank me so soon. I haven't done anything yet," the older man responded.

The corner of Derek's lips twitched up into a smile. "I know. But you will."

Derek wasn't sure if he saw correctly, but he was almost positive that he saw the beginings of smile on Deaton's face.

Both of them quickly stepped out when the elevator came to a smooth stop. Derek led them down the hallway, stopping only when he was in front of door number 1024. He stepped to the side so Deaton could unlock the door, pushing it open with his hand.

"You can go to the first bedroom on the right," Derek instructed, kicking the door shut behind him. As he was about to move forward, he heard a loud hiss coming from his left. He frowned and looked down at the cat on his floor, rolling his eyes.

The cat had been a birthday present from his sister Laura for his last birthday. He had expressed to her how much he didn't want a cat, _especially _one who was such an asshole, but Laura hadn't given him a choice. She was the co-owner of a rescue center that was specifically for cats, and the center had been getting overcrowded. The cat that she had given to him was only a few days away from being put down due to nobody wanting to adopt him. And honestly, Derek didn't blame any of the people who had passed him up.

First of all, he was a weird looking cat. He had a tan colored coat with one black paw, and his tail was nothing more than a stub. His head looked like it was twice as large as it's body, and it's eyes were two different colors: one blue, the other a dark brown. There was also a large chunk of his right ear missing, like a bigger animal had bitten it off. And if his appearance didn't turn you off, his nasty personality definitely would. He was always hissing at Derek or glaring at him from wherever he was perched. He constantly chewed up the toilet paper in the bathroom and then spit it out all over the floor. And last but definitely not least, whenever Derek was trying to do his paperwork, the dumb thing would yowl at the top of it's lungs, like it just _knew _Derek was doing important work.

_"Come on, Derek. Give him a chance!" _Laura had said. _"If anything, you two should get along great! You're both moody as fuck, and not to mention, you both have the same exact bitch glare. It was a match made in heaven!"_

"I should have just dropped you off on the street somewhere," Derek snarled.

The cat hissed once more in retaliation.

"Oh, get the fuck out of my way. I don't have time for this," Derek growled, shoving the cat to the side with his foot.

It yowled as it ran and hid behind the couch, peering out from behind it with pure hatred in his beady little eyes.

Derek huffed and strode quickly to his bedroom, eyeing the many small vials sitting on his nightstand that Deaton had pulled out from his bag.

"Is this _your_ bedroom?" Deaton asked, not taking his eyes away from whatever was in his hands.

"Yes," Derek replied, moving around the king sized bed. He bent down and gently placed the omega on top of the covers.

"Good," Deaton replied. "Your scent might help comfort him, make him feel a bit more at ease."

As Deaton went back to fiddling with the jars, Derek walked over to his closet. Upon opening it, he pulled down three fluffy blankets from the top shelf. The blankets always made him sweat whenever he used them, but that was because his body tempeture was naturally higher since he was a werewolf. His mate was _human. _They got cold a lot quicker and more often.

Walking back over to the bed, he set the blankets to the side. He grabbed his jacket that was still draped over his mates small body and slowly pulled it away. Derek felt a bit sick seeing again just how thin the small body was. It would be a miracle if he weighed more than 100 pounds.

Deaton's sharp intake of breath startled Derek, causing the werewolf to look towards the older man. Deaton's eyes were wide, focused on the unconsious boy.

"I see you weren't exagerating," the doctor muttered, absentmindedly scratching at his cheek. He looked towards Derek, professional expression in place once more. He vaguelly gestured towards the sleeping boy, adding, "Do you mind?"

"Hm?" Derek frowned, confused, before he realized what the man was refering to. "Oh! Yeah, go ahead." Deaton had just wanted permission to touch his mate. It was always a very unwise idea to touch ones omega without consulting the alpha first. That is, only when two mates have recently found each other. The alphas could get very territirial, and nothing good ever came out of pissing off a newly bonded alpha. Derek had read some horror stories that even frightened _him._ And that was really saying something considering what he did for a job on a daily basis...

Despite his verbal permission, Derek couldn't help but want to let out a low, threatening growl when Deaton laid a hand on the omegas broken leg. Derek knew his hackles would be raised if he was in full wolf form.

"I'm just going to set the bone back in it's place," Deaton said, gently grabbing hold of the leg. "It will start healing once you both give each other the claiming bite. And so will the... _cancer._ However, I can't smell how sick he is like you can. But if it's as bad as you say it is, he's going to need quite a while to heal afterwards. No, he won't be sick anymore, but he's going to be physicaally weak for a while. He'll need lots of rest and vitamins. You'll need to help him do basic things for a while, such as eating and using the bathroom."

The sharp snapping of bone made a growl rumble in Derek's chest, eyes flaring red on their own accord.

"Sorry," Deaton apologized, carefully setting down the leg. "It had to be done, otherwise there was a small chance that is would have healed wrong."

Derek reined in his wolf with a bit of a struggle, nodding in understanding. To take his mind off of the sound of breaking bones ringing in his ears, he clenched his jaw and grabbed one of the blanekts, drapping it over the omegas body. He took his time and carefully tucked the edges in around the small body, pulling the blanket up to just below his chin.

"Add another one," Deaton instructed, pulling a small vial of clear liquid out of his bag, along with an accomanying needle. "If he gets any colder he's going to end up hypothermic."

Derek nodded, laying another warm blanket on top. He suspiciously side-eyed the needle in Deaton's hand, not liking the looks of the pointy object.

"What's that for?"

Deaton flicked the needle once before gripping the omegas upper arm with his free hand.

"It's a serum that will keep his heat at bay for about four months," Deaton responded, inserting the needle into the creamy flesh. He concentrated for a couple of seconds while all the liquid was injected, but sent a serious look towards Derek once he pulled it out. "I need to give him one more shot that acts as a contraceptive. The poor thing hardly has enough nutrients in his body to keep _himself _going. There is no way his body would be able to sustain another human child or cubs." Deaton got the next shot ready with skilled fingers, injecting that one as well before continuing. "I'm not telling you what you should or shouldn't do with your mate, Derek. I understand that things happen. One things leads to another, and those things can easily lead to mating. It's really up to the both of you and what you guys decide. However, I strongly suggest to hold off on having sex. In all of my years as an omega specialist, I've never seen an omega as sick and weak as him."

"Of course," Derek insisted in a gruff voice. "I, I wouldn't... I'd never even consider sex until he's healthy and well. That's all I want. For him to be ok."

Deaton gave a little smile as he put the needles in a small, plastic container. "I know. And I'm certain he will be. That's why I gave him that heat suppresant. Heats can drain omegas for every ounce of energy they have. That could potentially hinder his recovery process."

"Right," Derek nodded. He couldn't help himself as he slowly brought his hand up to a pale cheekbone dotted with freckles. He softly stroked it with the back of his fingers, his heartbeat thumping out of time just from the simple touch.

"All right. Now it's time for the important part," Deaton said, moving himself off of the bed and dragging his bag with him. He sat down in a white reclining chair in the corner of Derek's room. "It's time for you to bite him, Derek. I know some alphas are territorial when it comes down to this, but I'd like to be in the room at least while you bite him, just in case something should go wrong."

"Ok," Derek replied, acknowledging the man with a brief nod of his head. He made himself comfortable on the bed beside his mate. He laid down on his left side, propping himself up with his arm so he was looking down at the sleeping face.

_This is it!_ his mind supplied with glee. _You're about to give your mate the claiming bite! You're going to have a mate!_

_Don't get excited just yet, _the more rational side of his brain supplied. Oddly, it sort of sounded like Lydia. _He may not even make it through this. Keep your emotions in check for now._

"-rek? Derek?"

Derek blinked hard, bringing himself back to the present. He looked towards Deaton, who was giving him an odd look.

"Derek, time is crucial right now. I suggest you claim him soon before it's too late."

"Of course," Derek replied, voice starting to become rough with emotion. He carefully slipped one hand beneath a small shoulder, moving his hand until it was in the center of the bony back. His other hand went up to cup the back of the omegas neck, gently lifting his head off of the pillow and making sure his neck was bared to Derek.

Derek lowered his face so his nose was right next to the flesh of his mates neck, pulling in a few lungfuls of sweetness mixed with the sour undertones of sickness. Derek softly grazed his lips over the intended marking spot, brushing the smallest of kisses over the smooth area. He let his canine teeth elongate and cut into the flesh of his lower lip. Before he even thought about what he was doing, his mouth was opening on it's own accord, sharp fangs biting into the tender flesh of his mates pale throat.

He felt the briefest surge of their bond within the confines of his chest, but it would not take full effect until the omega bit him back as well.

Derek let out a huff of breath through his nose as he gently unlatched his jaw, easing his teeth out of the puncture wounds on the omegas neck. He allowed himself the pleasure of running his tongue over the thin trail of blood, lapping the red, salty juices up greedily as he held back a small moan. He was sure to run his tongue over his lips and teeth as he pulled back, wanting to swallow down every last drop of the pure, innocent blood.

When his omegas face came into his sight once more, he couldn't help the somber whine that escaped his throat. Though the bonding bite was always said to be a pleasurable experience, his little omega would not know, for he was still unconcsious. The poor thing hadn't even done so much as flinch.

As Derek continued to cradle his mates head in his hand, he lowered his face so he could nuzzle at a soft cheek. His inner wolf whined in distress, wanting it's mate to open his eyes.

Derek cast a look over to Deaton, whom was holding some form of grey powder in a tube.

"What do I do?" Derek asked in a urgent voice. "He... he won't wake up. I was hoping my bite would somehow wake him., but... _God_, if he dies-"

"There will be no dying on my watch," Deaton interupted in his frustratingly, calm voice. "He'll wake once he gets a whiff of this powder. Trust me, Derek. The most important part has already been done. Your mate will live. You'll just have to be quick about getting him to comply."

Derek gave a sharp nod as he carefully supported the omegas head, tilting it back so Deaton could easily wave the vial in front of his face. Derek's lip curled in disgust as he caught the sharp scent of wolfsbane mixed with some other spicy herb. The smell was enough to make his nostrils burn, so there was no doubt that his little mate would be affected as well.

Sure enough, much to Derek's immense relief, the small nose twitched as thick eyelashes fluttered.

Deaton covered the top of the vial with his thumb as he pulled the tube away. "Try to be as quick as you can. Gently coax him into it. You may need to help him latch on correctly being he's so weak. I'll just be in the other room if you need me."

That said, Derek watched as Deaton swiftly exited the room and shut the door. His inner wolf was pleased that he had left, not wanting anyone else to lay eyes on his mate while the bond was formed.

He nuzzled against a soft cheek once more, a whine escaping his throat.

"C'mon, little one," Derek whispered, holding his breath as he watched the thick eyelashes flutter uncertainly. The moment the eyes blinked open to reveal their beautiful honey-golden hue, Derek felt his heart stop for a few beats. They were slightly out of focus and only half-lidded, but the color just _fit _his little, precious omega.

The amber eyes blinked blearily a couple of times before they slid to Derek's face. Derek couldn't help the happy, ridiculous grin that stretched itself over his mouth.

"Hello, beautiful," Derek breathed.

His mates perfect little nose crinkled slightly. Derek gently traced his bottom lip with his thumb, pulling it down a fraction to show milky, white teeth.

"You probably know this already, but you're very sick," Derek said softly, his throat threatening to tighten up with his emotions. Amber eyes just blinked at him, giving Derek no indication if he was hearing anything being said. "I'm your alpha, your mate. I promise that I can make you better if you mark my throat. Do you think you can do that for me, baby?"

Derek flinched a little as the endearment left his mouth. He did not want to frighten away his mate when he had just found him, but the name had rolled flawlessly off of his tongue. It felt so _right _to call him that. His mate. His _baby. _

The only answer Derek got was a small huff of breath ghosting across his hand and the slightest movement of the omegas jaw moving, unlocking itself.

_That's a yes, _Derek thought to himself, shifting on the bed so he could get a better grip on the omegas neck. With his right hand delicately supporting the back of his mates neck, he used the other hand to cup a soft cheek, using his thumb to help seperate the pretty, red lips.

A small whine escaped the omega's throat as he slowly opened his mouth. Derek wasted no time in leaning down, softly brushing his throat against the open lips.

"C'mon, little one," Derek whispered, feeling hopeful when he felt the pair of blunt teeth clench his skin between them. A few moments passed in silence as the omega tried to clamp down on the skin, giving a soft, unhappy snuffle when he failed to break skin. He started to slowly unhinge his jaw to pull off, but Derek held his head firmly in place with his hand.

"No, don't give up," Derek whispered urgently, coaxing the omega to clamp down once more. "You've almost got it, baby. Just a little harder, okay? I promise that you'll feel a lot better afterwards."

There was a pause in movement for a few moments, but then Derek felt the lightest brush of fingers against his chest. They clumsily latched onto his shirt, not pulling or pushing, just holding the material in small, shaky fingers. Simultaneously, he felt teeth trying to make a claim once more.

"More, more, just a little more," Derek encouraged, feeling the teeth start to break skin. The moment the omegas teeth broke through all the way, Derek's vision went blindingly white for a few seconds. A gasp broke through his lips as a sense of euphoria filled every fiber of his being. It felt as if a hole somewhere in his body had been mended, making him feel perfectly complete for the first time in his life.

His omega went rigid in his arms, fingers tightening in Derek's shirt. Derek was startled for a moment when the omega quickly let go of Derek's neck with his teeth and weakly pushed at the muscled chest. Derek frowned slightly and pulled back from the smaller body, only for him to be seriously alarmed when the omega jerked backwards and twisted his body so he was somewhat on his side, making a terrible, wet coughing noise before throwing up a milky white fluid.

"Deaton!" Derek yelled, throwing a panicked look towards the door when the doctor rushed into the room. He turned his attention back to the omega, whose body was shaking as he continued to dry heave, more fluid spilling onto the blankets every few seconds.

"Why is he vomiting?" Derek asked, hands fluttering uselessly around his mate, not quite sure how to help him. "You promised me he was going to get better."

Deaton knelt down by the side of the bed, a bottle of water in his hand. He gave Derek a pointed look. "This _is _him getting better. He had to expell the sickness from his body somehow. Sniff the air once, Derek. What do you smell?"

Derek pulled in a few lungfuls of air, getting nothing but the acidic smell of vomit and the soft, mouth-watering scent rolling off of his mate.

And not _one_ trace of a sick smell of any kind. It was gone. It was _all _gone. Just like that.

Jackson had been right all along.

Derek swallowed thickly. "Nothing. I smell... he's not sick anymore. He's, he's _better._"

Deaton nodded, satisfied. "Good. That's good."

Derek shifted his focus back to his mate, watching as he weakly rolled onto his back, chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to drag air into his lungs. His eyelashes fluttered tiredly against his cheekbones, like he wanted to stay awake but his body was fighting it.

"Hey now," Deaton spoke up, voice oddly soft. "How about we get you to drink some water, huh?" He cupped the back of the omegas head and tilted it at a comfortable angle. He brought the bottle up to the red lips and tipped it, causing the sleepy amber eyes to open for a moment.

Derek sighed in relief as his mate obediantly swallowed a couple of mouthfuls, letting Deaton know he was done when he closed his eyes and turned his head away. He rested his head on the pillow, his breathing evening out as he quickly fell asleep.

Derek ran a hand through his hair and let out a long breath. He reached over and grabbed an extra blanket before carefully pulling the vomit-coated blanket off of his mates body. He threw it on the floor and tucked the omega in once more with the clean one, smiling softly down at the sleeping face. He was glad he had only gotten sick on the one blanket instead of the bed itself. Though he had two other bedrooms, he really didn't want to move him more than he had to.

He looked towards Deaton once more, who was shoving supplies back into his bag.

"Thanks, Deaton," Derek said. "I'm really grateful that you came."

"It wasn't a problem," Deaton replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder, walking over to Derek and handing him a small bottle. "I've done everything I could to help. Now it's up to his alpha."

Derek lips twitched into a smile. He looked down at the bottle and gave it a small shake, asking, "What are these?"

"They're high quality vitamins. That supply will last two months, and I'm hoping he will be doing better by then." Deaton cast a glance towards the sleeping body. "Like I said, Derek. He's going to be really tired and weak for the next few weeks. You'll need to be his hands and feet."

Derek nodded in understanding. "I will. I promise. I'll take a couple of weeks off from work. I won't leave his side."

Deaton smiled. "That's a wise idea. But I also want to bring your attention to one other detail. You can't be certain about how long he was chained up down there with the others. Due to how malnourished he is, I would say quite a while, but we may never know for certain. There's no doubt that all of the omegas there were treated badly, and in some cases I'm sure there was some physical abuse going on."

Derek inhaled sharply as his eyes flickered to his mate. The thought had definitely crossed his mind, but he was hoping that it wasn't true.

"What I'm trying to get at," Deaton continued. "Is that, even though you may be his alpha, try not to make sudden movements around him. If he flinches away from you, just give him some space and use a gentle voice to soothe him. He will more than likely be confused because his body is going to feel a pull towards you, towards his _alpha_, but his mind might be completely against the idea. Now, I'm not saying that this will one-hundred percent for sure happen. I'm just letting you know what _could _happen. I don't want you to feel bad if he tries to reject you, or shies away from you. I'm just saying that it's a possibility, and it happens more often than you think to abuse survivors."

"I understand," Derek replied, swallowing thickly at the thought of his mate rejecting him. It made him a bit sick thinking about it, but it's not like he could force the omega to like him right away.

"Oh, one more thing before I go. Don't feed him too much at one time. His body won't be used to it, and he'll more than likely throw it all back up again. So just small portions of food at a time. And going off of that, only feed him food that he doesn't have to chew. Protein shakes, milkshakes, yogurt, applesauce, soup, you know, that kind of stuff. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me. I'll be back in a few weeks to check up on him."

Derek nodded, standing up. He walked over and shook Deaton's hand, saying, "Thanks again, Deaton. Honestly."

Deaton smiled. "Give your parents my best the next time you speak with them."

Derek chuckled. "I will."

With that, Deaton left, leaving Derek alone with his sleeping mate. The alpha bent down and picked up the vomit-covered blanket, quickly carrying it to his laundry room and throwing it in the washer. As he poured some detergent in, he felt a prickly itch under his skin. It gradually turned into a strong pull after a couple seconds, making him have the anxious urge to leave and get back to his mate as quickly as possible. It wasn't wise for newly claimed pairs to be away from each other. Close proximity was best, otherwise there could be horrible repercussions. Either alpha or omega could get very sick, even end up in the hospital. And on rare occasions, death could occur.

Derek growled deeply at the last thought, pushing it out of his mind as he started the washer and rushed back to his bedroom. His wolf wanted to spin in circles with glee as his eyes landed back onto the sleeping face of his mate. If he was in his wolf form, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from jumping up onto the bed, hunkering down next to the small body, and giving him a tongue bath. He felt a deep need to make the omega smell of him and _only _him. There was still the lingering smell of the other omegas clinging to his skin, along with the mild scent of grime.

"You're going to need a bath tomorow, little one," Derek murmured, stripping out of his jeans so he was left in his boxers and t-shirt. He usually slept in just his underwear, but he wasn't sure how the omega would react to that, so he thought it best to be safe than sorry.

He walked over and turned the bedroom light off, leaving the room completely dark, save for a few rays of moonlight shining in through the window. He made his way over to the bed, lifting the blankets so he could carefully slide in next to his mate. He rolled onto his side so they were facing each other, only six inches of space separating them. As much as Derek had the urge to wrap the smaller body up in his arms, he settled for inching his hand forward and resting just the tips of his fingers on a cold, bony shoulder. He couldn't help but smile ridiculously at the contact, his wolf preening.

He laid there wide awake for an hour or so, just _watching. _Watching his chest rise and fall with each breath, watching his dark lashes flutter every once in a while against creamy cheekbones spotted with beautiful freckles, watching the pretty, red lips twitch now and then, making Derek wonder what he was dreaming about. Hopefully it was something pleasant, and not anything that would give the poor boy nightmares. Fuck, his mate had been _living _a nightmare for who knew how long. He deserved to rest in a comfortable peace.

Derek let out a small huff as he cautiously scooted a little closer, fingers never leaving the omegas shoulder.

"What's your name, little one?" Derek whispered, not expecting an answer.

_Stiles, _his mind supplied. _Jackson said he likes to be called Stiles._

"_Stiles_," Derek said quietly to himself, testing the name out on his tongue. He smiled at how right it sounded.

"Well, Stiles. You're going to be just fine." Derek's eyes flickered to where his fingers were touching his mates bare skin, his mouth turning up into a sleepy smile. "_We're _going to be just fine."


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: You guys! I'm so speechless! You're all so very amazing! Like, seriously! The place I live doesn't have wifi, so I have to go to my grandparents house every day to use their wifi for a few hours. And I left right after I posted chapter 2, and when I came back the next day I was shocked seeing over 40 e-mails in my inbox that were all for this fic! I don't even know any of you guys, but every single one of you made me feel all warm and mushy inside! I think I love you people! Will you all marry me?! Lol, just kidding! (...maybe...)**

**And on a second note, I've had quite a few people ask me if I will be doing a chapter in Stiles pov. This story was mostly going to be seen through Derek's eyes, so I'm not really sure if I will be doing a Stiles pov chapter. I'm not saying it's a definite no, but I'm not saying it's a yes either. I think it just really depends on where this story goes :)**

**XOXOXOXO**

Derek woke up to sunbeams shining in his face. He blinked hard and turned his face into his pillow, partially blinded by the harsh light. He groaned softly as his fingers absentmindedly rubbed warm flesh.

Warm flesh that wasn't his own.

Derek's eyes widened as his head jerked up from the pillow, his gaze landing on the omega next to him.

Stiles was still sleeping peacefully, his posture a lot more relaxed than it had been the day before. He must have pushed the blanket down in his sleep because his chest and belly were exposed, the blanket rumpled in a heap at his thin waist. His lips were parted, a small trail of drool running down his cheek, making Derek smile softly. He had a strange urge to lick it off.

Derek propped himself up on his elbow so he was staring down at his mate. Moving his other arm, he lightly placed his hand over the omegas heart, pleased to know that the skin was no longer cold. It felt pleasantly warm underneath Derek's fingers.

Sudden movement from the sleeping omega startled Derek, causing him to pull his hand back. His hand just hovered in mid-air as Stiles subconsciously stretched, making a small mewling noise. After a few moments of squirming, he settled once more, sighing.

Derek chuckled softly to himself, using one hand to pull the blankets back over his mates body. Carefully, so as not to jiggle the bed too much, Derek got up. He raised his hands above his head and stretched, feeling satisfaction as the joints in his back popped. His eyes slid to the alarm clock next to his bed, it's sea foam-green numbers showing him it was a 11:17 in the morning.

He didn't know how long Stiles would be asleep for, but there was no doubt that he would be hungry when he woke up. The only non-chewable food Derek had around the house was a few breakfast shakes that he sometimes drank on his way to work, so he was going to need a lot more food options in his fridge. He wasn't just going to leave Stiles alone by himself while he went grocery shopping. First of all, he knew their new bond wouldn't let him go far. Second of all, if the omega happened to wake up while he was gone, Derek didn't want the poor boy to freak out.

Derek let out a long breath, running a hand through his hair. He was going to need someone to go to the store for him. And he knew just who to call.

Derek walked over to the rumpled jeans on the floor from yesterday and fished his phone out of the pocket. He flipped it open and searched for Laura's number, holding it up to his ear as it rang. He quickly stepped out of the room and gently pulled the door shut, not wanting his voice to wake the sleeping beauty.

"_Baby Bro,_" Laura's teasing voice sounded in his ear. "_To what do I owe the pleasure of speaking to you this morning?_"

Derek smirked. "Hello, Laura. I was just curious if you were working today or not."

"_Aw. Do you wanna spend some quality time with your big sister?_"

"No," Derek rejected without hesitation. "Last time we had _quality time_, as you put it, I walked out of your house with my nails painted hot pink and my face full of make-up."

"_Mm, yes, and don't forget how me and Cora made you wear a dress and high heels._" Derek frowned as Laura cackled through the phone. Why did mom never believe him when he told her Laura was evil?

"I thought we agreed to never speak of that again," Derek replied in a hushed tone, making it sound more like a statement than a question.

"_Hm, I don't recall. Maybe you should get your head checked, baby bro._"

Derek growled lightly, a warning. "Are you busy today or not?" he snapped.

"_Whoa, down boy. I don't go in to work until after three. Why, what's up?_"

"I found my mate."

_Way to let it out gently, Derek, _he thought, mentally kicking himself.

There was dead silence between the two siblings, not even the sound of Laura's breathing ghosted through the phone.

After a full 10 seconds, Derek got a bit worried.

"Laura? Are you there?"

"_...Yeah, yeah, I'm here._" Laura responded, voice oddly quiet and distant.

"Well, are you-"

"_You found your _mate," Laura interrupted, this time sounding shocked. "_How? When? Did, did you tell mom and dad?_"

Derek sighed, leaning his back against the wall and sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. "No, I haven't. Not yet any ways. You're the only one I've told because I just found him yesterday... And I _really _could use your help. He's... He's in bad shape, Laura."

"_Why? What happened? Derek, tell me what's wrong_," Laura said, voice gentle and underlined with worry.

So Derek took a deep breath and told her everything. Told her about the Argent's, about finding Stiles, about Deaton helping him, _everything._

Laura was silent for a few moments before teasing him, saying in a weak voice, "_Wow. I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk, D._"

Derek smiled weakly but didn't get the chance to reply, Laura interrupting him instead.

"_So you want me to run to the grocery store then?_"

"Yeah. That would help me a lot," Derek replied, smiling.

"_Kay. I'll be quick._" That said, she hung up.

"Good," Derek whispered to himself, standing up. He quietly opened the door and his eyes widened in shock.

His mate was _awake._

The omega was still lying on his back and snuggled under the warm covers, but his amber eyes were open and blinking up at the ceiling.

Derek slowly walked towards the bed, not using sudden movements or loud noises. Stiles must have seen him out of the corner of his eye because his heartbeat started thumping furiously, his head turning towards Derek. Wide, amber eyes stared at Derek, unblinking and full of fear.

Derek immediately put his hands up in surrender, shaking his head slowly.

"Hey," Derek all but cooed in a gentle voice. "I'm not going to hurt you, little one. You're ok. You're safe here."

Stiles just blinked at him, not moving.

Derek slowly lowered his hands and took a hesitant step towards the bed. He stopped once Stiles visibly tried to make himself smaller, his whole body a tense line.

Derek ignored the sad whine his wolf gave off, instead asking, "Are you hungry?"

Stiles flinched at his voice and his body started to tremble.

A flash of hurt ran through Derek's body, but he ignored it. This wasn't about him. It was about his mate. Specifically, it was about trying to gain his mates trust. He knew it wasn't going to be an easy journey, but he wouldn't give up.

"I'm going to get you something to eat, ok?"

Derek walked backwards towards the door, not wanting to take his eyes off of Stiles, only turning around when he had to. He hurried to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He grabbed a breakfast shake from the bottom shelf and a small single-serve applesauce cup from the top shelf. He shook the shake with one hand as he grabbed a spoon from the drawer with his other.

"Daily protein intake, essential vitamins," Derek muttered to himself as he read the label on the shake. "Exactly what he needs."

He grabbed the items and walked back to his room, setting the applesauce and spoon on his dresser. He unscrewed the cap on the cold bottle and walked towards the bed with light steps. Stiles just watched him, still trembling, as Derek carefully sat on the edge of the bed.

"Do you think you can drink some of this?" Derek asked in a soft voice. "It's good for you. It's vanilla flavored."

He was a little surprised when the omega gave a small head nod, still staying silent.

Derek smiled at him as he scooted a bit closer, slowly reaching a hand out towards Stiles.

"Is it ok if I lift your head a little? I don't want you to choke."

Stiles nodded once more, his eyes following Derek's hand with a cautious gaze. Derek was sure to keep his movements slow so that he wouldn't frighten Stiles even more. He gently snaked his hand between the back of Stiles' head and the pillow, lifting it at a comfortable angle.

Derek used his other hand to bring the drink to Stiles' lips, watching as they parted for the plastic, giving Derek a glimpse of a small, pink tongue. The sight made his belly swoop.

Stiles' pretty eyes were glued to Derek's face while he took in small mouthfuls of the fluid, the amber orbs large and filled with a look that Derek almost wanted to classify as awe or fascination. Derek thought that is was perhaps because Stiles had just realized that Derek was his mate. There was no doubt that the omega could feel their newly formed bond vibrating beneath his skin, reacting to Derek's inner alpha. His body had stopped trembling, after all. An omegas natural instincts was to soothe them with the smallest touch from their alpha, made to make them feel calm and safe. Derek wasn't 100% sure, but it looked like his touch was making Stiles feel less anxious.

Derek was surprised when Stiles drank half the bottle, but his wolf was very pleased. He needed the nutrients badly.

Stiles let Derek know when he was done by bringing his hand up to Derek's wrist and giving a light push. As the alpha drew his hand back, he couldn't help but smile as a bead of the white fluid dribbled down Stiles' chin. He set the bottle down before reaching up and carefully cupping the omegas jaw, tenderly wiping away the bead of liquid. He carefully placed Stiles' head back on the pillow before letting his hands rest in his lap.

"Do you want some applesauce?" Derek asked.

Stiles slowly shook his head no, licking his lips.

"Are you sure? It's cinnamon flavored."

Derek held back the ridiculous grin that threatened to break across his lips when Stiles eyes lit up at the mention of cinnamon.

"Do you like cinnamon?"

Stiles nodded his head yes, blinking up at Derek.

"Do you want some _now_?"

Stiles licked his lips once more before nodding again.

"Ok," Derek chuckled, grabbing the applesauce and spoon from the small dresser. He quickly ripped the foil off the top and set it down before he stirred the sauce inside the cup. He spooned some up and delivered it to the already open mouth. He repeated the motions a few times until the cup was completely empty.

"Good job," Derek encouraged, setting the spoon and empty cup down. He looked back towards his mate and smiled warmly. "My name is Derek. Derek Hale. And you're Stiles, right?"

He got a small head nod in reply.

"Is that a nickname?"

Another head nod.

"Good, good. You don't have to tell me your real name if you don't want to. I'd understand since I'm a complete stranger to you."

_He should know what's going on, _Derek's inner voice hissed. _He probably doesn't remember last night. Hell, he probably doesn't remember the last few weeks if he was unconscious. _

Derek swallowed heavily before meeting his mates eyes again. "Do you remember how you got here?"

Derek could see the wheels turning in the omegas head as he thought for a few minutes, looking small and vulnerable as he shook his head no.

"You were being held in the basement of the Argent estate. The Argents have been wanted by the FBI for quite a few years for kidnapping omegas and then selling them to willing buyers. We finally located their whereabouts yesterday, so we broke into their house. The Argents were killed on the spot, and there was a bunch of ambulances and medical crews waiting to get to down to the basement. However, I was the first person to find the omegas, and that was because I could smell you."

Derek could hear the rising tick of Stiles' heartbeat, and it made his wolf antsy.

"I could smell you because you're my... you're my _mate_," Derek continued. "I could smell your unique scent, but I could also smell the sickness. _God_, I thought you were going to _die_." Derek rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, suppressing a shudder that wanted to make it's way through his body at the chilling memory. "So I acted quickly. I picked you up and brought you here, to my home. We exchanged claiming bites, and our bond saved you. It, it _cured _you."

Derek felt a bit guilty laying out all of the information so soon. Now Stiles face was slightly pale and he looked a bit sick.

"I, I'm sorry. For exchanging bites with you when you weren't aware. That's a shitty thing to do. For all I know, maybe you wanted to reject my bite. Now maybe I just forced our bond on you and, and I didn't mean-"

Derek stopped his distressed rambling when he felt a small, warm hand rest on his bicep. He looked over and connected eyes with amber ones, his body flooding with relief when he didn't find any traces of sadness or disgust. He found warm eyes sparkling with trust and acceptance.

Derek swallowed down the hysterical laugh that wanted to bubble up his throat. Now his omega was trying to comfort _him. _

Derek hesitantly brought his hand up and covered Stiles' with his own, feeling quite smug when Stiles didn't pull his hand away.

Derek sighed. "I guess I just want you to know that, that even if we're bonded now, that doesn't mean I expect anything from you. I'm not here to force you into doing things you don't want to do. If you don't feel comfortable with something, don't hesitate to speak up. I'm not like a lot of other alphas. I won't be mad at you for saying no. That's your right, ok? And I'm not going to take that option away from you. All I want is to see you heal and get better, ok sweetheart? I promise that you can trust me. Like I said, you're safe here. Nobody's going to hurt you anymore. They'd have to get through me first."

Derek really wasn't much of a long talker, but seeing the traces of a small smile that tugged on the corner of Stiles' mouth made Derek think it was worth it. Hell, he'd talk for _hours _if it meant he could see his mate smile.

A knock on the door pulled the two out of their own little world.

Stiles looked panicked for a few moments, but Derek rubbed the back of his hand soothingly.

"It's ok. It's just my sister, Laura. She came with some food. Would you like to meet her? I promise she's not scary."

Stiles hesitated for a few seconds before cautiously nodding his head yes.

Derek smiled and got up from the bed, grabbed his jeans off the floor from yesterday and pulled them on. "We'll just be a minute."

He quickly exited the room and strode to the front door, unlocking it before swinging it open, revealing an out-of-breath Laura. Her brown curls looked a bit wild, some pieces of hair sticking to her blood-red lipstick.

"Hey, baby bro," she huffed, shoving her way past Derek.

"Need I remind you that you're a werewolf?" Derek sneered, closing the door. "You shouldn't be out of breath. Unless you've packed on a few pounds since I saw you last."

"Ha ha, _very _funny," Laura replied in a dry tone, setting down three big, plastic bags on Derek's kitchen counter. "The day I put on more weight will be the day you shave that _thing_ on your face."

Derek rubbed a hand self-consciously through the scruff on his jaw, glaring daggers at his sister. Why couldn't they ever just have a _nice _conversation?

"I hate you," he grumbled, watching as she peeled off her leather jacket and dropped it carelessly onto his couch.

"No you don't," she smirked, fluffing her curls so they actually looked half decent. "You _love _me because I just took time out of my day to go shopping for _you_."

Derek rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, not bothering to reply. She already knew she was right. Why let her have the satisfaction of making him say it?

"Ooh, hello pretty kitty!" Laura purred, bending down as Derek's cat stood and stared at her. It looked at her for a moment before showing it's teeth and hissing, scampering away before either werewolf could blink. Laura straightened back up, the smile falling off of her face as she quietly muttered, "I give you a home and _this _is what I get..."

Derek held back a snort of laughter.

"So, where is he?" Laura asked in a more serious tone, her eyes shifting around the room as if Stiles was going to pop out of the woodwork.

Derek gestured towards his bedroom. "He's actually awake. He managed to eat a thing of applesauce and drink half a bottle of a breakfast shake. Now I just hope it all stays down."

"Has he said anything?"

Derek shook his head and sighed. "No. He was quite scared when he woke up."

"Well, I don't blame him. He woke up in a strange place with a strange man."

Derek ignored the jab. "I _did _manage to calm him down a bit, though."

"Derek," Laura hissed, eyes flaring red. "Tell me you did _not _go alpha on the poor thing."

"What? No! _Jesus_, I, I would _never_-"

"Ok, I believe you," Laura interrupted, holding up her hands in defeat. She sighed and massaged her temples with nimble fingertips. "I just... you saw how Isaac was when Peter-"

"Yeah," Derek spoke up, the memory making him shudder. "That's why I didn't. I wouldn't be able to handle it if my mate was afraid of me."

"So how did you calm him then?"

Derek shrugged. "I just used a calming voice. I told him he was safe here and that nobody would hurt him. Once he realized I was his alpha he relaxed a lot. I, I asked him if he wanted to meet you and he nodded his head yes. But don't expect him to talk or anything. And _please_ for the love of god, don't frighten him."

Laura flicked her hair casually over her shoulder. "Baby bro, despite whatever horror film monster you compare me to in that little head of yours, I'm not _that _scary. I know when to be gentle."

"Yeah, right," Derek snorted, earning himself an elbow to the ribs. "Just follow me," he grumbled, leading the way to his bedroom.

He slowly walked in with a gentle smile on his face, Laura in tow. Derek walked over to the side of the bed while Laura just stood at the end of it.

"Stiles, this is my sister, Laura. Laura, this is Stiles."

Stiles just blinked at her through his thick lashes, his fingers tightening slightly in his blanket. Derek could smell the salty fumes of anxiety starting to mingle with Stiles normally sweet smell. He knelt down on the floor beside the bed and reached out with a hand, gently resting his fingers on Stiles' wrist. He was pleased when the anxious smell slowly started to evaporate.

Derek's eyes slid to Laura, noticing how she was just standing there, absorbing the sight of Stiles with her hazel eyes. No wonder why Stiles had gotten so nervous.

"_Laura_," Derek hissed, feeling a bit smug when her body jerked, eyes looking wild and frazzled. She composed herself quickly, turning back to Stiles and giving him a big, toothy grin.

"Hi! I'm Laura! Just like he said," she spoke, pointing a finger at Derek. "And my, my, my. Derek wasn't joking when he told me how much of a _cutie _you were."

"Laura!" Derek gasped, cheeks heating up.

"What?" she asked, looking at him with wide, innocent eyes. "You're the one who said it."

Derek groaned and shut his eyes. Why was this his life? _Why_?

The smallest giggle made his eyes pop open. He swiveled his head to stare at Stiles, shocked to see him looking at Laura with a small smile on his face. Derek was almost sure he had completely made up the giggle in his head, but one look at Laura's smug face made him realize that it had been real. Stiles had laughed.

Stiles had actually _laughed._

_Fuck, _it had been the best noise Derek had ever heard.

Stiles' giggle had been light, almost carefree. Like a gentle breeze. Yup, that was definitely it. If a gentle breeze sounded like anything, then it sounded like Stiles' laugh.

Christ, he had been with his mate less than 24 hours and he was already becoming a complete and utter sap.

"If you think _that's _funny, wait until I tell you all of Derek's embarrassing stories," Laura winked, inching closer to the other side of the bed. "Like the one time when Derek was at basketball camp-"

"Ok, Laura. That's enough!" Derek interrupted quickly. "Let's not overwhelm him."

Laura gave him a pouty face as she plopped herself down comfortably next to Stiles. She clucked her tongue in disapproval.

"He's just scared that I'm going to make him look stupid in front of you," she insisted, peeking at Stiles through the corner of her eye. "What he doesn't know is that he does a good job of that on his own."

Stiles let out another giggle, and Derek felt like he was going to burst from the happiness that was bubbling inside of him.

"Stiles," Derek spoke up, causing the omega to turn his attention away from Laura. "Do you think you're up to taking a bath? You've got a lot of different smells on your skin and... and it's confusing my wolf."

Stiles regarded him with a cautious gaze, but nodded his head yes, wiggling under the covers as he tried pushing them down.

Derek stopped his movements with the gentle pressure of his hand against Stiles' chest.

"You can relax with Laura for a few minutes. I'll go and run the water." His thumb absentmindedly stroked over bare skin. "You're still very weak right now. Would you like me to help you clean up? Or... or would you prefer Laura to help you?"

Laura's eyes flickered to Derek in surprise, but she didn't object. She just smiled at him. However, her acceptance wasn't needed, for Stiles chose Derek by gently poking at his jean-clad leg.

"All right. Be right back." With that, Derek walked into the master bathroom and over to the tub. He quickly plugged the drain before running the water. He sat back on his heels and debated whether or not he should pour in some bubble bath. In the end, he decided it to be a good idea. The bubbles would provide Stiles some privacy so he wouldn't have to feel quite as exposed to the alpha.

He stood up and jerked open the small closet filled with towels, washcloths and other various bathroom supplies. He pulled out two towels and set them on the lid of the toilet seat. His hand hovered uncertainly over a hot pink loofah that Cora had bought him as a gag gift one year for Christmas, but he just glared at it before grabbing a washcloth instead, placing it with the towels.

He walked back out of the bathroom and over to his dresser, absentmindedly listening to his sister talk Stiles' ear off while he grabbed the smallest pair of boxers he owned. He also grabbed a thick pair ot white socks and a pair of grey sweatpants that were too small for him. Holding the clothes in one arm, he walked over to his closet and opened it, quickly grabbing a warm, red hoodie.

After depositing the clothes into his bathroom, he joined the other alpha and omega on the bed. Laura was going on about her job and other various things that Derek classified as boring. He supposed he was just lucky that she wasn't telling Stiles any embarrassing stories about him.

"Laura," Derek interrupted, earning himself an uninterested glance from his sister. "Could you do me a favor and throw all my bedding into the wash while I'm helping him bathe?"

"Sure thing, baby bro," she replied, giving Stiles one last toothy grin before getting up from the bed. "I'm gonna go put some of the groceries in your fridge really quick."

Derek nodded, watching as she exited the room. He turned his attention back to Stiles, who was already looking at him with a look that Derek couldn't quite place.

"You ready?" Derek asked.

Stiles blinked and nodded, slowly shoving the covers off of his body. A small blush formed on his pale cheeks as the blanket fell away from his lower regions, but Derek didn't give him a chance to feel embarrassed or ashamed about being naked in front of him. He quickly just scooped the omega up into his arms, holding him securely as he trained his eyes on Stiles' face.

The omega let out the most adorable squeak at the sudden movement, winding his arms around Derek's neck on reflex. He looked bashfully into Derek's eyes, which were now only separated by a few inches.

Derek swallowed thickly, his feet leading him towards the bathroom. "You don't have to feel embarrassed in front of me, Stiles. Being naked is a completely normal thing. It's nothing to be ashamed about." Derek left it at that as he pushed the door shut with his foot.

Derek was going to set him down in the tub, but he caught sight of the longing look that Stiles was sending the toilet.

"Oh," Derek said dumbly. Why hadn't he thought to ask Stiles about using the toilet before? "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

Stiles sent him a pleading look and nodded his head yes.

"Do you want to sit down?"

Stiles surprised the alpha by whispering, "yes."

Derek brushed the towels off the toilet and onto his clean floor with the push of his foot, lifting the lid with his toe before carefully placing Stiles onto the seat.

"I'm gonna turn around, ok? You can grab the side of the counter if you need some support." With that, Derek quickly turned around to give Stiles a bit of privacy. He picked the towels up from the floor and set them on the little table next to the bathtub.

His hearing picked up the soft tinkling of piss hitting the toilet water, making him feel better knowing that Stiles' bladder was being emptied. He busied himself with turning off the faucet for the bathtub and dipping his hand under water, making sure it wasn't too hot or too cold. Satisfied with it's temperature, he reached over and grabbed the washcloth, setting it on the side of the tub.

When the tinkling sound tapered off, Derek slowly turned around and kept his eyes on Stiles' face.

"You done?" he asked, glad when Stiles nodded his head yes. He shuffled forward and lifted him back up, only taking a few steps before slowly setting him down in the bubbly water. Derek wasn't completely sure, but he was almost positive that Stiles enjoyed the bubbles going by the small, bright glint in his amber eyes.

Derek knelt down onto the fuzzy carpet in front of tub and grabbed hold of the washcloth. He dipped it into the warm water and got it wet as he grabbed a bar of soap with his other hand. Pulling the cloth out of water, he lathered it with soap and cast an uncertain glance towards Stiles.

The omega had his head resting against the wall, his eyes half-lidded and staring up at Derek's face. He looked very relaxed, and as far as Derek could tell, his mate _smelled_ content as well.

"Stiles, would it be all right if I washed you?" Derek asked, keeping his voice soft.

Stiles licked his bottom lip with his tongue and nodded his head.

Derek smiled. "Don't fall asleep on me now," he teased, receiving a small, sleepy smile in return. He started to wash the creamy skin of Stiles' chest in small circles, gradually making his way up his arms and neck. He carefully cleaned the omegas face, making sure to wash away the soap quickly before it got in his eyes.

As he got to the lower regions of Stiles' body, he made sure to mindlessly chatter about random things so Stiles wouldn't feel so nervous about being touched there. Needless to say, it went well. Stiles was quiet the entire time, just staring at Derek, but Derek counted that as a good sign. It was better than Stiles reeking of fear.

The last thing he did was wash Stiles' hair. He was more than happy to tangle his fingers in the brown hair and lather it with his own shampoo. Stiles seemed to like it too, for he had closed his eyes and let out a small mewl, which caused another ridiculous grin to stretch itself across Derek's lips. He repeated the process with conditioner, making sure to massage the omegas scalp. Derek was almost sad when the whole process was over. It had felt so natural to take care of his mate like that.

"You ready to get out?" Derek asked.

Stiles blinked sleepily and nodded.

"Ok." Derek reached for one of the towels on the counter and unfolded it, holding it open. "Can you hold your arms out? I'll be able to lift you out then."

Stiles slowly lifted his arms out of the water, bubbles clinging to his skin, and held them out to Derek like he was waiting for a hug. Derek wrapped the towel around his upper body, being careful not to dunk it in the water, and pulled Stiles up.

"I'm gonna set you back on the toilet seat, ok? I just need to grab your clothes."

He then set Stiles down, not caring that water was dripping all over his bathroom floor. He could clean it up later. For now, he just wanted to get some clothes on Stiles before he got cold.

He grabbed the sweater from the counter and draped it over his shoulder. Next, he grabbed the other towel and started to dry Stiles' hair and face, all the while Stiles just sat there obediently. Derek worked his way down Stiles' chest, arms and waist before finally helping the omega slip the sweater on over his head. It was ridiculously big on him. It went a good few inches past the tips of his fingers, and part of it slipped down the side of a creamy shoulder. Derek made a mental note to take Stiles shopping for clothes as soon as he regained his strength.

Next he dried Stiles' legs before he hoisted him up by the waist and carefully wiped down Stiles' nether regions. Stiles fingers curled around Derek's shoulders, tightening a bit when Derek dipped the towel in between his cheeks, but they loosened up again once Derek finished. The alpha set him down once more, kneeling in front of him and helping get a pair of underwear up his legs. Despite being a bit big, they fit nicely. Derek continued the process by pulling sweatpants up Stiles' thighs, tying the drawstring to keep them up. He finished the look by rolling on a pair of warm socks.

As Derek sat back on his heels, his wolf rumbled with satisfaction. Stiles was clean, fully dressed in Derek's clothes and absolutely _drenched_ in Derek's scent. It pleased his wolf immensely.

"Are you tired? Do you wanna go back to sleep?" Derek asked, resting a hand lightly on Stiles' knee.

The omega thought for a few seconds before shaking his head no.

Derek cocked his head to the side as he thought of something fun the omega could do. He rarely spent time doing anything by himself in his home. He was at work more often than not. There was just something about spending time by himself at home that was just too lonely, so he really didn't have anything exciting to do.

"Hm, do you want to watch TV?" Derek suggested. He may not have had anything exciting to do in his home, but at least he had cable. To his delight, Stiles nodded at his suggestion. Without another thought, Derek scooped him up once more, enjoying the feel of the small, warm body against his own.

Derek carried him through the bedroom and into the living room, walking over to the soft, white couch sitting in front of a flat screen TV. He deposited Stiles onto the couch and grabbed the remote, plopping himself down next to his mate. He left a few inches of space between them so as not to make the omega nervous. Sure, Derek had just carried him when he was completely naked, but that was out of necessity. He wanted to show Stiles that he wasn't like other alphas, that he could control his own actions and that he didn't _need _to be touching Stiles 24/7. The fact that he _wanted _to touch Stiles, though, was whole other ordeal...

He grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and turned the TV on. He then set the remote on the couch between them.

"You can pick whatever channel you want to watch. I'm just gonna go and make some lunch, ok?"

Derek stood up and waited a few seconds for Stiles to answer, but the omega was too busy looking at the remote like he had never seen one before in his life.

_Maybe he _hasn't _seen one before_, he thought in horror.

_Don't be stupid, _the Lydia sounding voice reasoned. _If he said yes to watching TV, then he's obviously been around one before._

That's when Derek realized that he literally knew _nothing _about his mate. Yeah, he'd only been with him for less than 24 hours, but that was enough time to learn the basics, such as if he had a family, or where he lived before he was kidnapped, or even what his favorite damn color was. The only thing he really knew about him was that he seemed fairly skittish and quiet, which given the circumstances in which Derek had found him, he had good reason to be.

Giving a casual sniff to the air, Derek could smell anxiety starting to form. He quickly sat back down and picked up the remote. Stiles looked a bit startled at the sudden movement and he shrank back a little, but Derek ignored the small ache Stiles' actions brought upon him and instead gave him a soft smile.

"Sorry, I suppose I should show you how to use it," Derek said smoothly. He turned the remote to face Stiles and pointed at a small, yellow button. "This is the 'Guide' button. If you press it, then a big list comes onto the screen to show you what's playing right now." He pressed the button and a dark blue screen appeared, naming a few shows and movies that were playing. "Then you just use these arrow button to scroll up or down to look at more. Let's see, you could watch the news, the home and garden channel, ghost stories, Spongebob-"

Derek stopped listing off the shows when Stiles made a soft noise, causing him to look over at the omega. His amber eyes sparkled with interest and his fingers were tightly clutching his sweatpants.

Derek grinned. "Do you want to watch Spongebob?"

Stiles didn't hesitate to nod his head yes, eyes glued to the television.

"All right." Derek pressed 'ok' on the remote, and the talking sponge filled the screen. Derek felt a bit nostalgic listening to the cartoon. He used to watch it all the time as a kid. Oh, hell, he _still _watched it as an adult sometimes.

He set the remote down next to Stiles' leg and got up, walking over to where his sister was standing by the fridge. She was busy shoving some food onto shelves, crumpling the plastic bags into balls once they were empty.

"I threw your blankets and sheets in the wash," she said as she turned around, throwing the plastic ball at Derek's face. He frowned as it bounced off his forehead, but he refrained from giving her the same treatment. He was more of a gentleman than that.

"Thank you," he replied, picking the bag up from the floor and setting it on the counter. "I owe you big time."

"Yeah you do," Laura grinned. She picked up something off of the counter behind her and held out her hands to Derek, shoving a toothbrush at Derek. "I thought you might not have an extra one for him, so I bought one just in case."

"Good thinking," he replied. He honestly hadn't even thought about a toothbrush.

Laura shifted her gaze over to where Stiles sat on the couch. "I like him, Der," she said quietly. "I think he'll be good for you."

Derek smiled softly and ran a hand through his hair. "I know. He will be. I... I feel incredibly lucky to have found him and, and to have _saved _him in time." He looked back over at Stiles with a lazy smile on his face. However, his pleased expression changed to one of shock as his eyes landed on his mate.

"What?" Laura asked. "Derek, what?"

He just blinked a few times before grabbing her jaw, swiveling her face to look where he was looking.

"What the fuck?" Laura blurted as she spotted what he was seeing.

The two siblings watched dumbfounded as Derek's cat slowly crept along the floor by the couch. It froze in it's tracks when Stiles let out a small giggle at the TV, but proceeded to jump up onto the piece of furniture when it realized there was no real threat. It slowly crept along the cushion until it was next to Stiles' hand, sticking his head out and sniffing it.

Stiles visibly flinched when he felt the cats nose, but Derek was surprised when the cat wasn't scared by the movement. In fact, after giving Stiles a few more sniffs, he plopped himself down on his bottom and stared up at the omega with it's beady little eyes. The cat and omega held eye contact for a good minute, sizing each other up, before Stiles hesitantly brought a hand up to softly pat it's head.

Derek damn near shit his pants when his cat took that as his cue to curl up in a ball in Stiles' lap and _purr. _His cat did _not _purr. In fact, his cat did nothing but glare and hiss and yowl at the top of it's lungs. He was supposed to be _evil_,for gods sake. Seeing this happy, purring cat in Stiles lap felt _so weird._

"Are we dreaming?" Laura whispered. "Because I'm pretty sure your cat is supposed to be an asshole."

Derek rolled his eyes. "And you gave him to me _why_?"

"Cuz you're an asshole. I thought you two would get along great," she responded, not even pretending to be nice. "But now it looks like he made a best friend." Then Laura looked at Derek with an evil smirk on her face. "Hm. Maybe Stiles isn't into wolfs. Perhaps cats are more his thing."

Derek elbowed her hard in the ribs, feeling satisfied with the pained _oomph _that she let out.

"That's my mate you're talking about," he hissed. He looked back at Stiles and he felt his heartstrings tug. The sight of his mate gently stroking the purring cat was probably the cutest thing he had ever seen.

When he looked back at Laura, he was alarmed at the serious look she was casting the oblivious omega. "What?" Derek asked, poking at her arm.

Laura swallowed hard and looked at him. "He looks no older than a teenager, Derek. Someone has got to be missing him. Hell, if he was my kid I would miss him..."

Derek nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know. It's just... I don't want to pressure him into talking. I want him to feel comfortable enough to talk to me on his own accord. Until then, I'm not going to pry for information."

"Good thinking," Laura murmured, though still looking a bit upset. Her phone beeped with an incoming message, which made her sigh. "That'll be Sarah wanting me to come in to work early."

"Well, thanks again," Derek replied, giving her a smile.

She smiled in return and stood on her tippy toes, planting a wet kiss on his cheek. "See ya, baby bro." She quickly grabbed her jacket and shrugged it on before walking over to the couch and saying cheerfully, "Bye Stiles! It was lovely to meet you!"

Stiles gave her a shy wave of the hand before she flounced out the door, her hair swishing wildly. The sound of the door closing echoed loudly in Derek's ears, reminding him just how alone he was with his omega. A part of him felt giddy with excitement to have him all to himself, but the other part of him, the more _reasonable_ part of him, told him to hold back his enthusiasm. Too much could frighten Stiles, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Derek just stood and watched Stiles be entertained by the TV, scratching behind the cats ears every so often. He smiled to himself, wondering what exactly it was about the boy that made the cat instantly like him. Perhaps the grumpy thing saw what Derek's wolf saw in Stiles. Or maybe it was just the fact that Stiles couldn't turn into another animal like Derek could. After all, dogs and cats were always said not to get along very well.

Derek cocked his head to the side in thought, wondering how Stiles would react to his wolf form. Maybe Stiles would be less skittish around his wolf. Or maybe it would frighten him even more. There was really only one way to find out, but he didn't want to overwhelm the omega more than he already was.

With a small sigh, Derek started digging around in his fridge for some lettuce, cheese, carrots and leftover chicken he had from the other night. He quickly whipped together a small salad sprinkled with small pieces of chicken. He grabbed the ranch dressing and poured a small amount on top of the salad.

"Stiles?" Derek spoke up. The omega jumped a little, making Derek feel guilty, but gave his attention to the alpha any ways. "Are you hungry? Do you want some lunch?"

Derek was almost sure he would say no considering he had just ate a little over an hour ago, but the omega slowly nodded his head yes.

"All right. What do you want? Let's see, we've got soup, pudding, ice cream, I could make you a smoothie-"

"Soup?" Stiles asks in a small voice, a little hoarse from lack of use.

Derek smiles. "Yeah. We've got chicken noodle soup, roasted chicken and vegetable soup-

"Chicken noodle!" Stiles piped up, cheeks turning a beautiful shade of pink for blurting it out.

"Chicken noodle it is," Derek said, giving his mate a handsome grin. He turns towards the kitchen and busies himself with heating up the soup up over the stove. While it warms up, he grabs a bottle of water and a pitcher of grape juice from the fridge, pouring a glass half full of the sweet juice. Once the soup was steamy and warm, he poured it into a white bowl and carried it over to the coffee table.

Stiles wiggled a little bit on the couch, causing the cat to get up and glare at Derek before scampering off. Stiles went to reach for the bowl with shaky hands, but Derek stopped him, gently wrapping a hand around Stiles' wrist.

"I can help you, Stiles," Derek said, holding eye contact with the omega. "Just get comfortable while I go and get my food."

Stiles just blinked at him and sat back, lowering his hands when Derek let go. The alpha quickly walked over to the counter and grabbed his salad, the water bottle and the glass of juice, returning quickly to the couch.

He helped Stiles drink a little bit of juice, watching the omegas throat as it worked to swallow the liquid. He then settled down comfortably next to Stiles, giving him little spoonfuls of the warm broth. The noodles and chicken in the soup were soft enough that they didn't require chewing, so Stiles was able to easily swallow them without any difficulty.

Once Derek had fed him about half of the bowl, Stiles didn't want anymore. He drank a little bit more juice but Derek could tell Stiles was getting tired by the way his eyelids were starting to droop. Before Derek could even finish eating his own salad, he felt the soft weight of Stiles head rest against his shoulder. Derek froze for a moment, thinking that perhaps Stiles was warming up to him a little. However, that thought went out the window when he heard the slow, steady beat of his mates heart, letting him know that he had simply fallen asleep.

Derek chuckled lowly as he set his empty bowl down. He shifted his body a little, moving into a different position so Stiles' neck wasn't at such a harsh angle. He carefully wrapped an arm around Stiles' waist and pulled him more firmly against his side. He couldn't help but smile softly down at the sleeping boy. He brought his free hand up to lightly caress a sharp cheekbone, slowly dragging the back of his knuckles across the soft flesh.

It was amazing how peaceful Stiles' face was when he was sleeping. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world. Derek thought it was a much better improvement than seeing the tense look of fear on his face. He hoped that one day Stiles wouldn't be afraid of anything anymore. He deserved to be happy after what he had lived through.

Derek hesitantly placed a small kiss to the top of Stiles head before settling down to continue watching the Spongebob marathon. That was really how the rest of the day went. Stiles dozed on and off, Derek helped him use the bathroom a few times and fed him a little more. Derek also made a call to Lydia, telling her that he would be using some of his vacation time to take care of his mate.

At first, Lydia had been a bit livid that he hadn't told her in advance, but once he explained what had all happened, she seemed to soften up. She even gave him paid time off, which honestly surprised him. Lydia was such a hard ass when they were at work. To know that she had a hidden soft side seemed completely foreign to him. In the end, he was just really grateful.

Once it got dark outside, Derek carried the sleeping boy to his bedroom and deposited him on the bed. He quickly changed into some flannel pajama pants before crawling in next to him, draping the blankets over both of them.

He didn't fall asleep right away. He laid awake for a while, just watching Stiles sleep and breathe. He grinned ridiculously to himself when Stiles shifted closer to him in his sleep. It may have just been the omega instincts reacting to Derek's alpha instincts, but Stiles had still _moved closer._ In Derek's book, that was a win. And he was positive that there would be many more wins in the future, but for now, he just wanted to focus on one thing at a time.

Current project: Gain Stiles' trust.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Wow! Over 10,000 hits! Thank you all for your wonderful comments and your show of support!**

**Heh, on an unrelated note, I just figured out this week that my aunt reads gay fanfiction on this website. Like, detailed gay fanfiction. Like, literally some of the same awesome fics that I've read. And in my excitement I was just going to ask her what some of her favorite parts were in our mutually favorite stories, but then I caught myself at the last moment. I knew she would have asked me the same, and I really didn't want to go into explicit detail about how I love reading about Derek pounding Stiles' ass so hard that he can't walk the next day. There are just some things that I don't talk about with family members, but she totally knew what I was thinking anyways. We just sort of mutually gave each other the 'I know what you read at night' look and then awkwardly started a different conversation. Ha, what is my life? *Dies of embarrassment***

**XOXOXOXO**

The next week and a half pretty much played out the same way, minus his sister coming over and embarrassing the ever living piss out of him. He helped Stiles get around the house, he helped him eat, he helped him with simple things, such as tying the string on his sweatpants. Derek knew he was maybe going a little overboard with all the help he was giving Stiles. Stiles was his mate. It was Derek's natural instinct to provide Stiles with whatever he needed. However, he knew that Stiles would need to start doing things by himself sooner rather than later.

That's how he found himself kneeling in front of Stiles, who was sitting quietly on the couch and shooting Derek a peculiar look. The alpha just sent him a small smile as he lifted Stiles' left leg up did a few therapeutic stretches with it to try and get the blood flowing and warm the muscles up. He worked the leg for a good five minutes or so before giving Stiles' right leg the same treatment.

"All right, Stiles," Derek said as he stood up. "We're gonna try and get you walking again. Your legs will probably be sore after a few minutes, but a few minutes is all we need to start getting you back on your feet." Derek gave a little snort before adding, "Pun intended."

Stiles didn't look impressed.

Derek just blinked and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He knew his jokes weren't the talk of the town, but sheesh. Tough crowd.

"Right, ok," Derek mumbled. He grabbed Stiles' smaller hands in his own and carefully pulled him up so he was standing. His legs were a little bit shaky, but Derek counted it as a good sign that he was standing on his own.

"Do you feel any pain?" Derek asked, becoming slightly distracted by the soft, sweet smell of Stiles' hair inches away from his nose. He resisted the urge to lean forward and bury his face in it.

"No," Stiles answered in a quiet voice, squeezing Derek's hands a little tighter.

That was something that had somewhat improved over the past week. Instead of the wordless answers that Stiles had given him at first, he started answering with his voice. Yes, they were mostly one-word answers, but that was definitely progress.

"Ok, great," Derek replied. He took a big step backwards, still holding Stiles' hands in his own. "All right, Stiles. Can you take a small step forward?"

Stiles didn't answer. He just looked down at the ground with a look of concentration and slowly shuffled one foot forward.

Derek smiled. "Yeah, just like that! Now try the other leg."

Stiles did as instructed, his movements slow but sure. Derek felt pride swelling in his chest. Just a week ago Stiles' leg had been completely broken. To see Stiles walking, well, more like hobbling on it, brought an odd feeling of relief to Derek.

They continued their little practice for a few more minutes, walking back and forth on the nice wood floors. Then Derek decided he should probably let Stiles try and walk on his own without holding Derek's hands. So he let go and back up a few steps.

A small flicker of fear shone in Stiles eyes as he looked at Derek in panic.

"Hey, you're all right Stiles. I'm right here. I won't let you fall," Derek soothed.

Stiles just looked at him with wide eyes before his jaw slightly clenched. He blinked a few times before his amber eyes filled with a look of pure concentration. Derek's inner wolf wagged it's tail at the show of determination.

To help balance himself, Stiles held his hands out at his sides. He then took a slow step forward, lifting his foot impressively off the floor. He flexed his toes before doing the same with the other foot. Derek's heartstrings tugged at the small smile that flickered across Stiles' lips.

All went well for a few more steps, Stiles gradually making his way towards Derek's outstretched, awaiting arms. Even though he was moving along nicely, Stiles' right leg gave out, not used to so much exercise. Before he could hit the floor, Derek was up in his space, wrapping one arm around the slim waist and another underneath Stiles' armpits.

A whoosh of breath left Stiles' mouth as Derek caught him, blowing across the alphas cheek. He kneeled down on the floor, Stiles still gathered in his arms. He leaned back a little to look into Stiles' eyes with a worried expression, gently cupping a cheek with his hand.

"Are you ok? You're not hurt, are you?" Derek asked in a voice that oozed concern.

Stiles blinked large eyes at him, but replied in a shaky voice with. "No... No, I'm fine."

"Thank god," Derek whispered, rubbing small circles on Stiles' back. He also took the opportunity to drain Stiles' pain. There really wasn't much pain, exactly, but there was the beginnings of a deep soreness that he was drawing out.

He carefully deposited Stiles onto the couch and sat down next to him, holding one of his hands. "I think that's enough exercise for one day. You did so good, though, Stiles. We can do a little more tomorrow." Ok, Derek knew he was totally being a mama bear, but he just didn't want to see his little cub get hurt after doing so well.

Stiles nodded his head in understanding. He looked up from his lap and gave Derek a little smile. "Thanks."

"How about we eat some ice cream and watch tv, huh? You deserve a reward for doing so well."

Stiles looked up at Derek through his thick lashes and batted them playfully, giving Derek's hand a gentle squeeze.

Derek held back a groan. He knew where this was going. Stiles wanted a piece of the chocolate cake that was sitting in the cake pan on Derek's counter. Usually Derek had a lot of self control, but a few days ago when Stiles had spotted Derek eating a slice of it, the omega had given him a look. Derek wasn't even sure how to describe what that look had looked like. All he knew was that it did certain things to certain body parts of his.

He knew Deaton had specifically told him not to feed Stiles any solid food, but he couldn't help it. That look just did things to him. Him and his wolf. Needless to say, he had caved quickly. And the look on Stiles face when he had eaten it was completely worth it. God, the omega had Derek wrapped around his little finger.

Derek sighed, but smiled affectionately. "You want some cake and milk?"

Stiles full on grinned at him in response, which caused Derek to chuckle.

"All right," Derek replied. He started to get up, but Stiles held onto his hand. He looked at the omega and rose an eyebrow. "Oh, did you want to eat at the counter?"

Stiles vigorously nodded his head yes. Derek scooped him up in his arms and brought him over to the counter, setting him on a tan, wooden barstool with a white cushion on it. He then proceeded to grab two plates and cups from the cupboard, as well as two forks and a knife from the drawer. He opened the cake pan and cut two generous slices, dishing them out and setting them on the plates. He slid one over to Stiles' awaiting hands before grabbing the milk from inside the fridge and pouring them each a glass. After putting the milk and cake away, he made his way around the counter and plopped down right next to his mate.

Stiles had already dug into the cake, chewing rapidly while making small noises of pure happiness. Derek held back a laugh as he saw chocolate frosting and a few sprinkles sticking to Stiles' lips. He grabbed a paper towel and reached over to Stiles, wiping the sweet food from his lips. He just glanced at Derek from the side of his eye before continuing to shovel another forkful in his mouth.

"Don't eat it too quickly, Stiles," Derek interjected, taking a small swig of milk. "I don't want you to choke."

Derek could see Stiles think about his words for a few seconds before he started to chew a little slower. He then copied Derek and took a small drink of milk. Satisfied, Derek turned back to his cake and ate it quickly with a wolfish appetite.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a knock on his door. Stiles sent him a quizzical look, but Derek smelt the sudden spike of fear starting to cloud the air.

"Shh, it's ok," Derek said to the omega, rubbing a soothing hand down his bony back. He allowed his wolf to let out a calming rumble. It took effect immediately, Stiles' body going lax under Derek's hand, the acrid smell of fear retreating quickly. Derek smiled to himself, taking a chance and running his fingers through Stiles' soft hair. "Eat your cake, sweetheart," he encouraged, walking towards the door.

He didn't usually get many visitors, so he couldn't really picture who was standing on the other side of his door. He doubted it was his neighbor, Danny. Though they were always friendly enough with each other, they were hardly more than acquaintances.

Derek gripped the doorknob, his guard up, and pulled it open, only to reveal his parents standing on the other side of the door. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Darling!" his mother exclaimed, moving forward and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Mom?" Derek asked, more out of shock than anything. He glanced back and forth between both his parents' smiling faces. "What are you guys doing here?"

His father chuckled deeply. "Derek, we own this building. It would be a bit odd if we didn't drop by every once in a while to check on things."

Derek sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know that. I mean what are you doing here? At my door."

His mom and dad snuck a peek at each other before looking back at him with almost nervous looking smiles on their faces.

"We... well, we heard from your sister that... that you found your mate?" Talia replied, her response sounding more like a question.

Derek clenched his jaw in anger. Of course Laura would open her big mouth. He was obviously planning on telling his parents at some point, but he wanted to do so on his own terms. He wanted Stiles to be more comfortable in his own skin first before he overwhelmed him with more people.

"I'm going to kill her," Derek rumbled, letting out a small growl.

"Derek," Talia said. "Sweetheart. Why didn't you tell us? I know we can be overbearing sometimes, but you're our little boy! We want to know when big things like this happen in your life."

Derek just sighed at his mothers coddling and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "Mom, I'm twenty-six years old, for god sakes. I will tell you things on my own time, when I'm ready to tell you."

"We were just curious," his father, Marcus, chimed in. "And we wanted to meet the little fellow. You know, welcome him to the family."

Derek sighed once more, this time sharply. "How much did Laura tell you guys exactly? What do you know about him?"

"We know that he's a boy, he's human, his name is Stiles, and he's 'super cute,' to quote Laura," Talia said, ticking each point off on her fingers.

Derek leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest, giving them a sarcastic smile. "Did she also happen to mention that I found him chained up in the basement of the Argent estate, that he's severely malnourished, he hardly talks at all, and that he's pretty much afraid of everything?"

He felt a bit bad about his outburst after it happened. His mothers skin was a few shades paler, and it looked like nausea was swimming in her brown eyes. His dad just looked downright startled, his hands fluttering uselessly at his sides, not quite sure what to do.

"Ok, I guess that was a bit of an over exaggeration," Derek bit out. "He's not afraid of everything. I managed to gain a bit of his trust over the past week. That's an improvement."

"Oh, Derek," Talia whispered, putting a hand over her heart and clutching at the dark-green material of her dress. "That's... That's horrible."

Derek nodded his head, the anger slowly melting from his body until he just felt tired.

"Is it..." Marcus started to say, but stopped for a second to gather his thoughts. He took a breath before continuing. "Is it as bad as it was with Isaac?"

Derek shook his head no. "Thankfully, no. He actually seems to be warming up to me." Derek scratched at the back of his head. "I, uh, I know that you want to meet him. I get that. But... I got lucky that he liked Laura. I just want to make him more comfortable before I introduce him to a lot of others, ok?"

Talia gave him a sad smile, but nodded her head in understanding.

"We understand," Marcus spoke up. "The last thing we want is an Isaac Fiasco 2.0."

Derek gave his parents a small smile. "Thanks for understanding. I swear I'll call you guys the second he's more comfortable." He then sent them a semi-guilty look. "And I'm sorry for being an asshole earlier."

"Derek!" Talia exclaimed. "Watch your language."

Marcus groaned and wrapped an arm around his wifes waist. "Talia, dear, he's twenty-six years old. He can swear if he wants-"

"I don't care if he's fifty, for goodness sake!" Talia interrupted, wagging a finger in her husbands face. "It's not polite to swear in front of your parents."

"Mom, I've heard you swear in front of grandma plenty of times," Derek commented, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"I don't recall such a thing," Talia denied, giving Derek an innocent look.

Derek was about to reply, but a small tug on the back of his shirt captured his attention. It startled him slightly but he composed himself before he flinched. Turning around, he saw Stiles standing behind him, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Stiles?" Derek asked gently. The omega was wobbling a little from his shaky legs, a tell-tale sign that he was going to fall in a few moments. Derek reacted quickly, scooping him up bridal style before he could tumble to the floor.

Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's neck and fisted his fingers in the alphas shirt. He then sent a small, curious look over Derek's shoulder, towards his parents.

To be completely honest, he had forgotten about them the second he had laid his eyes back on Stiles. If it wasn't for the look Stiles had sent them, Derek probably would have closed the door without another thought. But it just so happened that his wolf didn't enjoy Stiles' attention being on anyone else. Especially not his parents. His wolf was selfish like that. So he had no choice but to turn around and face them like a polite, mature adult.

He hesitated before he turned around, though. He wanted to know if Stiles actually wanted to meet them or save it for another day. He couldn't smell any fear, but he wanted to give Stiles the choice anyways.

"Stiles, those are my parents," Derek murmured low into Stiles ear. "They came by because they wanted to meet you. Do you want to meet them? I can send them away if you want. I promise that they're nice people. They're good guys."

Stiles blinked a few times before he put his mouth next to Derek's ear. The air from Stiles' nose was ticklish against his skin.

"Good guys like you?" Stiles whispered.

For a moment Derek's breath caught in his throat, emotions threatening to tighten it.

He vaguely heard a whimper come from behind him, but it didn't really register in his mind. All he could think of was the fact that Stiles categorized him as 'one of the good guys.'

He felt the familiar sting behind his eyes that signaled to him that tears were going to flow any second. He quickly bit his lip with one of his fangs, the sharp pain keeping the tears at bay.

He thought he was being a bit ridiculous. He only ever cried when he was really sad, and nothing said in the last few minutes was even close to sad. However, it was the fact that Stiles saw him as somebody good, saw him as someone who wouldn't ever hurt him, that really squeezed at his heart. No, they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of happiness.

Derek could honestly say that that small detail meant more to him than anything else ever could.

Derek swallowed thickly and composed himself. "Yeah," he responded, voice rough with emotion. "Like me."

"Ok," Stiles responded, prompting Derek to turn around.

The look on his parents' face showed that they had heard their little exchange. Which, of course they had. They were werewolves, after all. But they also had a look of pride and adoration that was aimed at Derek. It made the alpha feel like even though he had jumped into the whole mating thing blind as a bat, he was doing a pretty damn good job.

"Stiles," Derek said. "These are my parents; Talia and Marcus. Mom, dad, this is my mate, Stiles."

Talia flashed him a warm, motherly smile, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "It's so nice to meet you, sweetie."

"Yes, it's very nice meeting you, Stiles," Marcus chimed in, an unusual, calm smile on his lips.

"My goodness," Talia spoke up again, giving a small laugh. "You're very gorgeous. And your eyes are so beautiful."

Stiles replied by blushing profusely and burying his face in Derek shoulder.

Derek chuckled and softly nuzzled his head.

"I think you've overwhelmed him, dear," Marcus murmured.

Talia slapped a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened.

"I think we'll be going, son," Marcus said, lacing his fingers with Talia's.

Derek gave them both a smile. "Ok. See you guys later."

"Goodbye, Stiles!" Talia blurted, waving her free hand wildly at the omega.

Stiles briefly untucked his face from Derek's shoulder and gave her an unsure smile.

Derek closed the door, sighing in relief.

"I'm sorry, Stiles. I didn't know they were going to visit me today," Derek apologized, looking at the omegas tired face. "Did you finish your cake?"

Stiles nodded.

Derek chucked. "I suppose your not hungry for any dinner then?"

Stiles gave him an innocent look, making Derek laugh out loud.

"Ok, so you are hungry." Derek walked them back to the kitchen and set Stiles back on his chair from earlier, the only evidence of him sitting there being an empty plate with some chocolate cake crumbs. "Let's see what we can feed you."

The next hour was full of Derek moving around the kitchen with multiple kinds of food. Stiles had expressed his desire for eating some grits, and Derek was happy to comply. To make them taste not so plain, Derek shook a generous amount of cinnamon flavoring in them. Stiles' eyes lit up when Derek had suggested it, so he complied quickly. While they were cooking in the pot, Derek grabbed his blender out from the cupboard and some fruit from the fridge. He then proceeded to make a blueberry-banana smoothie for both him and Stiles. He added a bendy straw into each cup and slid one over to Stiles.

The omega happily sucked on it, not letting up until it was halfway gone. When his grits were done, he ate most them, making little, happy noises as he chewed beside Derek. Derek just shoveled his own food in his mouth so he wouldn't embarrass himself by groaning at the noises, or something as equally mortifying. It was definitely the fastest he had ever eaten leftover Chinese.

The cleanup afterwards was quick and easy. All there was to do was shove the dishes in the dishwasher and wipe off the counter. After that, the two of them settled down on the couch to watch a little bit of tv before bed. The only cartoon that was playing was 'My Little Pony.' Though Derek wasn't the biggest fan of the show, he watched it anyways because of Stiles. Though, to be honest, Stiles was giving it some suspicious looks, like he couldn't quite understand why a bunch of horses were talking to each other. Then again, a talking sponge wasn't exactly considered normal either.

About an hour later, Derek found himself watching Stiles from the corner of his eye. He could tell his mate was getting really tired by the way his head was bobbing up and down, but there was something he needed to tell him before he slipped off into dreamland.

"Stiles," he spoke up. The omega cast him a drowsy look. "I just want you to know that a friend of mine is going to be coming over next week. His name is Deaton. Remember, the guy I told you about who helped me when I found you?"

Stiles nodded, looking a bit more awake.

"Well, he's gonna come over for a little bit next week," Derek continued. "He's going to check up on you to make sure you're healing right and getting better. I think you're doing really good, though."

Stiles gave him a side-eye, his fingers twitching in his lap. He was silent for a few heartbeats before he mumbled, "What's he gonna do?"

"I'm not quite sure," Derek confessed, scooting over an inch so their legs brushed each other. "He's definitely going to check your leg that was broken. He might have you walk around a little bit, but with more practice over the next few days I think you'll have that down no problem."

Stiles nodded slowly and nibbled on his bottom lip, the air becoming smoky with anxiety.

"Hey," Derek said gently, his hand creeping over to rest on top of Stiles'. "It'll be fine. I promise you that he's not going to hurt you. He just wants to check you over to make sure you're doing ok. You're body went through quite the change, you know."

"Ok," Stiles answered, the smell of stress slowly dissipating from the air.

Derek didn't know if Stiles truely believed him, or if his wolf was just influencing Stiles' emotion changes. Either way, he wanted to make Stiles know that Derek was true to his word.

"Hey," Derek said softly, giving Stiles' hand a little squeeze. "I mean that, Stiles. He may be a family friend, but if he does anything that makes you uncomfortable, I won't hesitate to tell him to leave."

They held eye contact for a while, trust sparkling in the amber pools. Stiles flickered his tongue out to wet his bottom lip, shifting Derek's gaze down to Stiles' plush, red lips. They parted slightly under his gaze, causing Derek to hold back a small moan that wanted to break free. He wanted nothing more than to shift forward a few inches and lick inside of that little mouth. He knew Stiles' mouth would taste sweet, with an under bite of innocence. All he had to do was lean forward a little and press his lips to Stiles' and-

Derek was shocked out of his thoughts as the cat jumped up onto the couch and promptly sat on Stiles lap. He hissed at Derek and gave him the evil eye, like he just knew where Derek's thoughts were heading.

Derek looked away and faked a cough to try and hide his embarrassment. He was pretty sure that the red blush blooming on his cheeks and the back of his neck gave him away, though. He really hoped Stiles hadn't noticed him gazing at his lips. He didn't want to make him think that Derek only wanted him for mating purposes. He was quite certain that that would break Stiles' trust. Now, if Derek dreamed about kissing Stiles' pretty lips, well, Stiles didn't need to about know that.

Derek shifted his gaze back to the omega and cat. The look on Stiles face was a cross between amusement and confusion, like he didn't comprehend how the cat didn't like Derek. After a moment, Stiles just gave a little shrug and started to stroke the cats fur. The cat curled up in a ball in Stiles' lap and sent Derek a smug look.

The bastard.

"Does it have a name?" Stiles murmured, eyes transfixed on the cat.

"No, he doesn't." Derek had had the damn cat for almost a whole year, and he just called it 'cat.' Well, on a good day. On the days when he was really being a thorn in Derek's side, he was called an entire collage of unsavory names. "You can name him if you want!"

Stiles looked at Derek and cocked his head. "Like what?"

"Anything you want to. He's just a cat."

Stiles frowned at the alpha. "Not just a cat. You're not just a dog, are you?"

A burst of startled laughter escaped from Derek's mouth. Something about Stiles' question was just funny to him.

Derek scratched at the scruff on his jaw. "I suppose you have a point. But either way, you can name him whatever you want to. Just think about it. It can be something as simple as your favorite color, or something as complex as the name of a president."

Stiles thought for a moment, his gaze fixed on the cat. Then, all of a sudden, a wide grin stretched across his face as he exclaimed, "Cinnamon!"

Derek threw his head back and laughed. Of course. His favorite flavor. Derek really should have seen that one coming.

The clock hanging on the wall chimed, telling them it was eight o'clock. To some people it may have seemed to early to go to bed, but Stiles had been falling asleep around that time every night.

"Are you tired? Do you wanna go to sleep?"

As if just realizing his own sleepiness, Stiles let out a huge yawn and sagged against the couch, nodding his head yes.

"All right. Move, cat," Derek said, making a shooing motion with his hands. It hissed at him before jumping off of Stiles' lap and running down the hallway.

Derek rolled his eyes and muttered, "Drama queen." He easily lifted Stiles' into his arms and carried him to the bedroom. He helped Stiles get some pajamas on and then let him brush his teeth and use the bathroom. By the time the omegas head hit the pillow, he was already asleep.

Derek just smiled as he reached over and turned off the bedside lamp. He thought the whole day was a big success. Stiles started walking again, he hadn't freaked out when he met Derek's parents, and best of all, Derek had miraculously gotten him to say more than two words at a time. Hell, he had said an entire sentence! In fact, more than a sentence!

Derek kept those positive thoughts in mind as he drifted off to sleep.

XOXOXOXO

Derek knew he was sleeping, but he could tell something was wrong. Something in the air just felt... off. He wasn't even dreaming, but his wolf was getting really restless. Something was making his wolf restless.

As the fog of sleep slowly started to clear, his wolf got more urgent, causing him to sit up in alarm. His wolf was never wrong about things like that, so he forced himself to be immediately alert. That's when he realized his wolf was panicking because of Stiles.

As his head snapped towards his mate, the moonlight in the room allowed him to see Stiles shaking. His fingers clutched at the blankets and his head thrashed from side to side every few seconds. He was whispering something under his breath, little fragmented pieces of a sentence that Derek couldn't quite make out even with his wolf hearing.

Derek quickly turned on the lamp and scooted over to Stiles, giving his shoulder a light shake.

He was about to call Stiles' name, but Stiles interrupted him before he could. It was just one word that his mate whispered. One word that Stiles spoke, but it made his wolf whine is distress.

"Daddy."

Derek's hand just hovered above Stiles' shoulder, a little to stunned to do anything. This was the first time Stiles made any real mention of one of his family members, even if he was not aware of it.

"Dad," Stiles whispered again, his face crumbling. "Where are you?"

Derek shook himself out of his stupor and gave Stiles' shoulder another shake, this time a bit harder.

"Stiles," Derek called gently, not letting up his shaking until Stiles was startled awake. Derek held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, it's all right. You were having a bad dream."

Stiles' chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes looked around the room wildly before they landed on Derek, his heart slowing down a few beats.

"Are you ok?" Derek asked, mindlessly running his fingers through Stiles hair.

Stiles swallowed thickly before nodding, letting out a long breath as his head fell back down to the pillow. "Yeah. Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for having a nightmare, Stiles. You can't control that," Derek replied. "Do you think you can get back to sleep?"

Stiles just nodded in reply and turned onto his side so he was facing away from the alpha. Derek just sent his back a small smile and turned off the lamp. He scooted close to Stiles before making himself comfortable. He tried not to think too much about Stiles' nightmare because that just made him want to question Stiles about his father.

Was he alive? Did he live in California? Did he care that Stiles was missing? Did he miss Stiles?

As hard as Derek tried to clear his mind of the thoughts, he couldn't help but fall into a fitful sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: So, in a few days I'll be going back to college, and if this semester is going to be anything like last semester, I probably won't have very much time to write. So I just want to apologize in advance if I don't update this fic for a while. Last semester was very stressful on me and I sort of spiraled down into a depression for a while. I didn't really have the motivation to do my homework, much less do any writing. It made me feel really sad because I really do enjoy writing, but I'd rather not do it if my emotional health is at risk. I learned that lesson, and this year is going to be different. So if I don't update in a while, it's not because I gave up on this fic. It's simply because I need a small break from my writing so I don't end up hating it, lol. I hope you all understand. Anyway, enjoy!**

**XOXOXOXO**

"Sorry I canceled last week," Deaton apologized as he stepped through Derek's door. "I had an emergency at the clinic. A patient of mine went into early labor."

Derek just smiled as he closed the door. "It's fine, Deaton. It just gave Stiles more time to get back on his feet."

"Good," Deaton replied, setting his mysterious black bag on Derek's couch. "How has he been settling in? Have you been giving him those vitamins?"

"Yup. Every day," Derek responded, scratching absentmindedly at the scruff on his jaw. "He's been settling in well. He's walking and talking and... and eating _some _solid foods. He seems to trust me quite a bit. I'd say he's doing rather well given the circumstances."

Deaton just grunted in response, rifling through his bag with a slight frown on his face. "How often does he walk and talk?"

"Well, for the last week he's been walking all over the place by himself. I think he's better in that aspect."

"Any signs of being in pain?" Deaton asked, the frown falling off of his face when he apparently found what he was looking for.

"No. Nope. I check every time after he walks around."

"Great. The exchange worked to heal him them," Deaton responded. "And his talking? How often does he do that?"

Derek chuckled lightly. "Well, at first he hardly said a word. But then around week two he started to respond verbally with one word answers. Now he seems fine using sentences." Derek frowned slightly. "Though, he never actually _starts _conversations. I always do, but he doesn't have a problem responding to them."

"Mm," Deaton hummed thoughtfully. "Well, one step at a time. It sounds like he's progressed along miraculously. Good work, Derek."

Derek shrugged almost shyly, the compliment throwing him for a loop. "It's really just instincts, you know? There was a time when I was a little skeptical about all of this _mate _stuff. Now I understand perfectly."

Deaton gave Derek a small smile and grabbed his bag again, slinging it over his shoulder. "Is he in your bedroom?"

"No, he's using the bathroom right now. He's a bit nervous about your visit."

"As to be expected," Deaton replied. "Most people are afraid of doctors, you know."

Derek nodded, ears picking up the sound of the toilet flushing. "Where do you want to do this?"

"Your bedroom is fine if he's comfortable there," Deaton replied, looking towards the doorway.

"Yes, that's perfectly fine." Derek politely ushered Deaton into his room.

"I don't meant to pry, Derek, but have you declared Stiles as no longer missing?" Deaton asked, setting his bag down on the plush, white chair in the corner.

Derek paused for a few moments before regretfully shaking his head no. "I... The first time I talked to him I told him that he didn't have to tell me his real name until he was comfortable. The only thing I know is that he likes to be called 'Stiles.'" Derek sighed softly as he heard Stiles' footsteps padding towards him. "It's pretty hard to report someone as found when you don't know their name."

"I understand," Deaton replied. He looked up, past Derek's shoulder, and smiled warmly. "And you must be Stiles."

Derek turned around and spotted Stiles standing in the doorway. The omega looked hesitant, his eyes shifting back and forth between the alpha and the doctor. Derek could smell the spike of anxiety starting.

"Stiles, it's ok," Derek soothed. He stepped towards his mate and held out his hand. Stiles just blinked at it for a few moments before meeting Derek's eyes. He smiled slightly as he grasped Derek's hand, the alpha squeezing it gently. "Stiles, this is Dr. Deaton."

"Hi," Stiles said quietly, partially hiding behind Derek's body.

"Do you mind sitting down, Stiles?" Deaton asked. "I'd like to look you over a little bit."

Stiles wearily nodded his head yes, but didn't move a muscle. He just squeezed Derek's hand a little tighter.

"Come on," Derek coaxed, gently pulling him over to the bed. "I'll be right here with you. There's nothing to be afraid of."

The two of them sat down on the edge of the bed, Stiles sidled up against Derek's side. Derek's skin tingled pleasantly where Stiles was touching him. It made the alpha want to press more firmly against the younger boy, or at least lean over and bury his nose in the soft, brown hair. In fact, giving a small nip to Stiles' pale throat seemed like a good idea, too.

_Fuck_, his fangs were dropping down and his mouth was starting to water. He needed to get a hold of himself fast.

He forced his fangs to recede back into his gums before quickly swallowing the small pool of saliva that had gathered in his mouth. He returned his attention back to Deaton, only to see him carefully wrapping something around Stiles upper arm.

"Looks like your blood pressure is pretty good," Deaton pointed out after a few moments, removing the cuff from Stiles' arm. "Now I want to check your eyes."

The whole process took about twenty minutes, Stiles never letting go of Derek's hand the entire time. Deaton just did some basic things, like checking the omegas movements, his eyes and his speech. He also listened to his lungs and declared it was ok for Stiles to start eating solid foods again, but he still needed to take vitamins every day. Stiles was still considered underweight, but Derek was all right with that. It was a hell of a lot better than being malnourished. And Derek was 100% sure that he could help get Stiles back to a healthy weight.

"So, last time I was here, I gave him a birth control injection," Deaton stated, pulling out a small needle from his bag. He gave Derek a questioning look. "It only works for a month. Since it'll be a whole month in a few days, do you want me to give him another one?" He shook the needle for emphasis.

Derek felt Stiles go rigid beside him, his breathing coming fast and shallow. Alarmed, Derek looked at the omega, only to see complete panic in his eyes. The sharp smell of fear skyrocketed within seconds.

"Stiles?" Derek asked, concern clouding his voice. He shot Deaton a look, but the doctor looked perplexed. He took a hesitant step towards them, and Derek got a lapful of a terrified Stiles.

"No," Stiles whimpered, trying to squirm impossibly closer to Derek. His nails dug into the skin of Derek's shoulders as he tried pulling himself closer. One of the omegas knees dug painfully into Derek's crotch, causing the alpha to let out a painful hiss.

"Stiles," Derek chocked out through clenched teeth. He wrapped a secure arm around Stiles' thin waist and tangled his other hand in Stiles hair, trying to gently pull him back.

"No, no," Stiles repeated, burying his face in Derek's neck. Derek's alarm bells immediately went off when he felt the wetness of tears against his warm skin.

"Stiles, baby, please look at me," Derek coaxed, letting out a loud whine as he gave Stiles head a nudge with his nose. His eyes slid back to Deaton, to the needle in his hand, and then it made sense. Stiles was afraid of the needle.

Derek let out a low growl at the doctor and his eyes flared blood-red. "Put that away," he growled. "No injections. They frighten him."

Deaton nodded, not hesitating to shove all of his things back in his bag, including the needle. He grabbed the bag and hoisted it onto his shoulder. "I apologize, Derek. I didn't mean to upset him."

Derek forced his eyes to go back to their usual color, giving a tense nod of his head. "S'alright."

That said, Deaton left.

"Stiles, he's gone," Derek said, trying to move backwards to look into Stiles' face. All he got was some wet sniffles and a heartbeat that sounded like a jackhammer. He rubbed both hands up and down his mates back, trying his best to soothe the shaking body. "Sweetheart, can you look at me? Please?"

Stiles let out a small whine as he shook his head no, his breathing still erratic.

"Shh, you're ok. Can you try to slow your breathing?"

All Derek got for an answer was Stiles' breaths turning into wheezes. He swore under his breath as he recognized the signs of a panic attack.

"_Stiles_," Derek said forcefully, using his strength to pull Stiles back a few inches. The omegas eyes were wide and scared, fingers clawing once again at Derek's shoulders. Derek cupped Stiles' cheek in one of his hands, forcing him to look into the alphas eyes. "Stiles, you _need _to slow your breathing, ok? You're having a panic attack. Can you breathe with me?"

Derek made a show of slowly breathing in and out, encouraging his mate to do the same. However, Stiles couldn't do it, and it was making him panic even more. Derek had a tingle of fear shoot up his spine, afraid that he would have to go alpha on him. Derek didn't even _want _to picture the horrified look that would definitely make its way on Stiles face. God, Derek didn't want to break the trust that Stiles had gained for him. It was possible that he wouldn't, but he just really didn't want to risk it.

That's when he remembered.

When he was younger, one of his human cousins always had panic attacks. It had made Derek curious enough to look up information on the internet. He vaguely remembered reading about how holding your breath could sometimes stop a panic attack. Considering he was quickly running out of options, he decided it would be worth it to try.

"Stiles, can you hold your breath for a few seconds?"

Stiles looked at him with scared eyes and tried, but he ended up choking out a small cough. His face crumbled as his grip on Derek's shoulders got weaker. If Derek didn't do something quickly, Stiles was going to pass out from asphyxiation. Instead of going all alpha on Stiles and _forcing _him to slow his breathing, he let his actions take control instead.

So Derek cradled Stiles' face in his hands, closed the gap between their lips and kissed him.

The forceful press of his lips had caused their teeth to clink painfully together, and Derek was almost certain that one of his fangs was poking Stiles in the lip. But the action had caused Stiles to suck in a deep breath and hold it, more than likely out of shock.

Despite the fact that he had pretty much just _forced _the kiss on Stiles, his wolf couldn't have been happier. It had longed for this kind of contact from the moment he had laid eyes on Stiles. Now that he was _actually _kissing Stiles, his wolf was fucking _purring_. And it's not like the kiss was really anything to write home about. It was wet from Stiles' tears, and there was a bit too much force behind it. But they were also _Stiles_' lips. And they were small, and soft, and they molded to Derek's _just right._

Fuck, despite the events leading up to the kiss, the kiss was _perfect. _

At least, for Derek it was. Going by the hard, tense line of Stiles body against Derek's chest, the alpha was certain the omega was not enjoying it. At least, he thought that for a few drawn out seconds. But after a few painfully tense moments, he felt Stiles body relax significantly against his own. Stiles' hands, which had been white-knuckling Derek's shoulders not but 10 seconds ago, slid down to Derek's chest. They were trembling slightly as they fisted the material of Derek's shirt between his fingers.

Derek couldn't help but smile against the red lips, completely relieved that Stiles wasn't repulsed by him. His wolf wanted to let out a yip of satisfaction when he felt light puffs of air escape from Stiles' nose, ghosting across his cheek. Eventually, he slowly broke the kiss, but kept his face close to Stiles. There was a small string of saliva connecting their bottom lips, but for some insane reason, it made Derek's belly swoop with desire.

Derek watched as Stiles' eyelids fluttered open, revealing the shades of amber sparkling with something that looked like awe. His breathing had gone back to normal and there was a healthy, pretty pink flush high on his cheekbones. Derek wanted to trace the heated skin with his tongue.

Instead of giving in to his urges, he just gave Stiles a small, worried smile and traced one of the cheekbones with a thumb. "I, uh, sorry," Derek said a low, gruff voice. "I just... I needed you to hold your breath to... to stop the panic attack. So, when I kissed you..."

"I held my breath," Stiles whispered, finishing the sentence for him.

Derek huffed a laugh and nodded his head. He swallowed thickly before speaking. "I, I'm sorry, Stiles. I didn't mean to force myself on you. That's... That's not who I am."

Stiles gave him a weak smile and whispered, "I know."

Derek smiled at him in relief before clutching the omega to his chest. Stiles' head rested comfortably in the crook of Derek's neck as Derek rubbed soothing circles on Stiles' back. The two sat like that in silence for a good 10 minutes before Stiles broke the silence.

"When I..." he started, voice sounding small and far away.

Derek let out a soft rumble, making the omega relax. He nosed softly at Stiles' temple, encouraging him to continue with what he was saying.

"When I was being held at the Argent's," Stiles continued, his voice quiet. "They... They always gave us... _shots._"

Derek felt his wolf getting restless under his skin. He didn't like where this was going.

"What kind of shots?" Derek whispered, tracing Stiles' spine with gentle fingers.

"Um, they m-made us go into heat. B-before alphas would come and look at us. They wanted us to smell good so the alphas would buy us."

Derek growled deeply, but he was thankful it didn't frighten Stiles. He hugged the omega closer to his chest and pressed a tender kiss to his hairline.

He had heard of those kind of injections. They were highly illegal, and anyone caught with them was immediately charged with 20 years in prison. There were loads of side effects associated with those kind of injections, the worst being death. They used to be highly used in the earlier days, when alphas were a hell of a lot more barbaric. When an alpha wanted a weeks worth of sex, all he needed to do was purchase some of the liquid and inject it into their omega, whether the omega wanted it or not. Then in just a few hours, the omega would go into a severe heat that was usually not very pleasurable for them at all. All in all, it was a drug made _by_ alphas for the _pleasure _of alphas.

Derek swallowed thickly and clenched his jaw. "Did any alpha ever... did they-"

"No," Stiles denied, heartbeat steady.

"Thank god," Derek sighed. "That's why you don't like shots."

"Yeah," Stiles whispered, shivering slightly.

"It's ok, Stiles," Derek said. "If you're afraid of shots, I'll never make you get one. _Especially _not for going into heat."

Stiles buried his face into Derek's neck. "I don't like my heat," Stiles said, the words muffled against Derek's skin.

Derek hated that Stiles was afraid of going into heat. Heat was supposed to be very pleasurable for an omega. And it was going to be Derek's duty to make sure Stiles felt the utmost pleasure during his. _Fuck_, Derek would be sure of it. But one step at a time. Derek had _just _shared his first kiss with his mate. There was so much more he wanted to show Stiles, so the omega could understand that not all sexual acts were horrible. It was just going to take a bit of time. But that was fine. They had all the time in the world.

"Did you... help _yourself _through your heats?" Derek asked. Though Stiles was still pure and untainted by any other alpha, that didn't mean he hadn't used his own hand and fingers to make it a little less agonizing.

"No," Stiles whispered. "My chains were never long enough."

"_Fuck_," Derek swore. An image of Stiles appeared in his head, sweaty, panting, maybe even crying, as he was chained to the cold wall in the basement of the Argent estate, heavily in the middle of his heat as alphas sniffed around hm. It made Derek _beyond _angry. "It's not supposed to be like that, Stiles, ok? Your heat isn't something that you should ever be afraid of. It should... it should feel good. What they were doing to you was completely wrong. You're never supposed to go through a heat the way you did. And I'm going to make sure of that."

"Ok," Stiles sniffed, his eyelashes fluttering against Derek's neck.

That being said, Derek felt a little better. However, he was still antsy, like his wolf was on edge. He had felt like that the last few days but he had mostly ignored it, putting all of his focus on Stiles. So the moment he cast a look towards his window and spotted the bright, full moon outside, he felt like the worlds biggest idiot.

Of course. The full moon.

"_Shit_," Derek hissed. If he didn't get to shift into his full wolf form tonight, he would be severely cranky for the next couple of days. And considering he had to go back to work tomorrow morning, that was a bad idea. He didn't want to get on Lydia's bad side. She would be handing Derek's balls back to him on a platter.

"What's wrong?" Stiles asked softly, blinking up at the alpha.

"Uh," Derek started, blowing out a breath. "Tonight's the full moon. Usually on the full moon I drive to a preserve not far from here and run around in my wolf form. You know, to burn off steam and all of that. I guess that's not going to happen tonight."

Stiles just blinked at him, a small blush taking over his cheeks. "I could go with you."

Derek smiled at the offer, but he could hear the up tick of Stiles heartbeat, telling Derek that Stiles was having a anxiety about the thought of leaving the house.

"It's fine, Stiles. I can live with not running around for one night," Derek replied. He chuckled softly at the relieved expression on Stiles' face. "But... would you mind if I shifted into my wolf form _here_?"

Stiles swallowed thickly and shook his head no. "I like puppies."

Derek threw his head back and laughed. "I think you're going to realize that I'm a lot bigger than a puppy."

Stiles blushed again as Derek set him down on the bed beside him. Derek quickly stood up and lifted his shirt off over his head, ignoring the swoop in his belly when he heard Stiles' heart skip a beat. His wolf was itching _so_ badly to get out that he didn't bother worrying about modesty. He just quickly slipped out of his pants and boxers, leaving him naked and exposed to Stiles' eyes.

He let out a big breath as he concentrated on shifting, feeling the familiar popping and cracking of his bones sliding into place. His skin itched for a moment as he sprouted fur and his nose elongated into a muzzle, but once he was on all four paws and fully shifted on the ground he felt like everything was back in order.

The first thing he did was give his coat a good shake, his paws skidding slightly on the slippery, wooden floor. The next thing he did was look up towards Stiles' adorably curious face. He gave a deep bark to his mate, his tail wagging a mile a minute. He wasted no time trotting over to the bed and jumping up, placing himself right next to Stiles. He stretched his neck out and stuck his cold nose in Stiles' throat.

Stiles jerked away from the cold touch, giggling. He gave Derek a shy look before reaching over and patting him lightly on the head. Derek encouraged the ministrations by giving Stiles' wrist a small lick. Stiles must have understood the hint, for he softly stroked Derek's silky fur. Derek panted in happiness, tail slapping against the bed every other second. Derek _really _went crazy when Stiles' fingers started to scratch behind his ear. He felt no shame as he rolled onto his back, tongue lolling out to the side as Stiles' fingers kept up the good work.

After a good amount of the heavenly scratching, Derek jumped back down to the floor and shook himself off again. His ears perked up as he cast a look towards the doorway. He had a squeaky toy hiding in one of the drawers in the living room. It was his dirty little secret. He loved nothing more than squeaking it like crazy in his wolf form, the feeling of his canines tearing into it sending a satisfied thrill through his body every time.

He let out a loud whine, turning back around and carefully grabbing Stiles' sweatpants between his teeth and pulling.

"Oh," Stiles said, standing up. "You want me to follow you?'

Derek gave a happy bark, trotting slowly beside his mate as they made their way into the living room. He gave a deep growl and bared his teeth as he spotted Cinnamon sitting on the couch. The cat hissed and quickly ran into the other room. Derek could have swore the cat gave Stiles a traitorous look.

"Derek," Stiles frowned. "That wasn't very nice."

Derek just gave a small whine and licked apologetically at Stiles' fingers. Stiles just shot him a tiny smile, making the alpha feel better. Without further interruptions, he stalked over to the drawer hiding the toy. He gripped the handle with his teeth and _pulled_, opening it to reveal the squeaky toy in the shape of a mini cat. He gripped it carefully in his jaws and head-butted the drawer closed.

Stiles giggled from where he had plopped down on the couch. "No wonder the cat doesn't like you," he said, gesturing to the toy between Derek's teeth.

Derek just gave a snort, trotting proudly over to the couch. He settled himself down comfortably, half on top of Stiles lap. He waited until he felt small fingers scratching through his fur before he got to work gnawing on the toy, the squeak loud and insistent.

He spent what felt like forever spread across Stiles' lap, shifting every once in a while so he wouldn't hurt the human on accident. After an excessive amount of toy chewing, his jaw began to get sore. Not only that but he could feel energy buzzing beneath his skin. He needed to get up and do _something_.

So he did. He jumped off the couch and did a few laps up and down the hall, tail wagging excessively as he dropped his nose to the floor. He wasn't really searching for any particular smell. It was just his instinct to be on the lookout for anything that smelled _wrong. _He needed to make sure his mate was safe and protected. Thankfully, he detected no threats, though he already knew he wouldn't.

After a few more minutes of taking on guard dog patrol, he moved into the kitchen, sniffing away at the floor. And, much to Stiles' amusement, he lapped up a few crumbs resting on the wooden ground. When he got bored, he stretched and yawned, cold nose twitching. He cast a glance towards his mate, seeing that the boys eyelids were drooping. He was clearly tired, and just because Derek was in his wolf form didn't mean he was incapable of taking care of his mate.

He walked over to the couch and gave a small Woof,' tugging gently at Stiles' sleeve. The boy just yawned adorably and followed Derek into the bedroom. Derek sat patiently by the door as Stiles slipped between the covers. He then stood on his hind legs and used a paw to flip the light switch off. He silently stalked over to the bed and jumped up, settling himself down comfortably beside Stiles, his head resting on the omegas chest.

Stiles lazily stroked his fur for a while, causing the wolf to let out a happy huff. They sat in silence for a few, comfortable minutes before Stiles spoke.

"Genim," Stiles mumbled, half asleep.

Derek rose his head and looked at him, one of his ears flickering.

"Genim," Stiles mumbled again, fingers going still in Derek's fur. "That's my name. Genim Jonathan Stilinski."

That said, Stiles breathing slowed and evened out, telling Derek that he had fallen asleep. Derek wagged his tail happily, giving the boys cheek a small lick. He counted that as a huge milestone in their relationship. Stiles finally trusted him enough to tell him his name. That made Derek's heart swell with pride.

Now the next step was to find his parents.

**XOXOXOXO**

Derek sighed as he sat down in his office chair, taking a large gulp of his coffee. It was the first day in nearly a month that he had returned to work, and his workload was already enormous. There was loads of paperwork that needed to be filled out, and not to mention he needed to go and investigate a couple of crime scenes. Then there was the 14 people he needed to go and question about a recent hit and run that had taken place. In other words, his work load was fucking _huge. _Thankfully, Lydia had given him a few weeks to get back on his feet and do it all.

He had traded working nights for working days instead, just so he could be home with Stiles during bedtime. He was having a bit of anxiety about leaving Stiles behind for a few hours, but Laura had agreed to look after him while Derek was at work. And since Stiles seemed to enjoy Laura's company, he knew he had made the right choice by calling her up.

When Derek had arrived to work, he had been immediately bombarded with questions from Lydia. The questions varied from wanting to know what Stiles looked like, to if Derek knew his real name yet, and of course to if the sex was any good. He growled at the last question, and thankfully, Lydia knew when to be quiet. Instead, she just shoved a bunch of forms into his hands, claiming he needed to fill them out so they could report Stiles as no longer missing, and hopefully contact his parents.

Currently it was Derek's lunch break and he still hadn't filled out the forms. Technically he wasn't supposed to mix his work and home life, so the paperwork would have to wait until after his shift was finished. However, that couldn't stop him from being curious.

As he bit into his ham and cheese sandwich, he clicked on the internet icon on his laptop. When the window opened up to the Google homepage, his fingers hovered uncertainly over the keyboard, not really knowing why he had the urge to do this. He just shrugged to himself and typed 'Genim Jonathan Stilinski' into the search bar.

Not a lot of things popped up, though Derek was sort of expecting that. Genim wasn't exactly the most normal name to search for. All he saw was a couple of polish website and some elementary school listings. His interest _did_ pick up a bit when he saw an obituary for a Claudia Rose Stilinski. He didn't hesitate to click on it, holding his breath as he waited for the page to load.

He felt his heart sink a little at what he read. Claudia Stilinski died at the age of 38 from frontotemporal dementia, leaving behind a grieving husband and an 8 year old son named Genim Jonathan Stilinski. For a small moment, he thought that perhaps it was a different person who had a child named Genim, that maybe _his _Genim still had his mother. But when he scrolled down the page, he found a picture of Claudia, and she was definitely _his _Genim's mother. They had the same colored hair, the same amber eyes, the same moles, the same smile. Claudia's beauty had definitely been passed down to Stiles.

Derek gave a soft whine for his mates loss. He didn't know what it was like to lose a parent, but he knew it had to be hard. Especially if Stiles was only 8 years old when it happened.

Sighing sadly, he clicked the back button, scrolling through the other results and finding nothing useful. He clicked over to the next page and frowned, an article catching his eye.

_**Beacon Hills Sheriff Resigns After 9 Years**_, the headline read as the article popped up in full. Derek scratched as the scruff on his jaw as he recognized the name of the Sheriff. Jonathan Francis Stilinski was his name. That was also the name of Stiles' mothers' husband, so Derek assumed the ex-sheriff was Stiles' father.

The article hardly had any information about Jonathan himself. It just went on to say that he was resigning after 9 years, and the position was being handed over to a woman named Teresa Catherine Marlowe. Then it went on to talk about the new sheriff-to-be, not mentioning Jonathan again.

Derek sighed in frustration, eating the rest of his sandwich. All of this searching was making him feel a little off, like something wasn't right. And that was a ridiculous way to feel considering every ones situation was different. That's when he realized something. If Stiles was the sheriffs son, then _surely_ there should be plenty of articles about the omegas disappearance. Fuck, that had probably been the talk of the town when it had happened. There was no doubt that the sheriff would have been swarmed by reporters, trying to get him to speak about his missing son. An article like that would have been _all over _the internet.

_So, maybe the ex-sheriff _isn't _Stiles' father, _his mind supplied, but he shook the thought away. The guys name was _Jonathan _for fucks sake, which was also Stiles' middle name. There was no way the shared name _and _the both of their links to Claudia's obituary was a coincidence. But then, why the lack of missing reports? Something was... _off._

Derek glanced at the clock, his fingers itching to type something new into the search bar. He had 10 minutes left of his lunch break, and he was going to make the most of it.

He let out a breath as he cracked his knuckles, returning his fingers back to the keyboard. He deleted Stiles' name from the search engine and typed in Jonathan's name instead, zoning in with complete focus. The only thing that came up was the same article he had just read, talking about the sheriff resigning. He leafed through a few pages of the same article, getting more annoyed by the second. None of them said anything about his child missing, or anything else for that matter, giving Derek no real indication about what the sheriff was like or where he currently was.

It was when Derek was 3 pages into his search when he found something. He had his mouse hovering over the red 'x' in the upper right-hand corner of the screen when he spotted it. The headline gave him chills up the back of his spine.

_**Ex-Sheriff, Jonathan Stilinski, found guilty of killing 10 year old son.**_

Derek swallowed heavily, confusion swirling in his mind as he clicked on the link. A picture of the sheriff was at the top of the page, showing him in his uniform with his badge shining brightly underneath the lighting. He was clearly giving a speech at the time the picture was taken, for he was standing behind a podium with a microphone attached. There were a few officers standing behind him, silently watching as Jonathan spoke to his audience.

Derek scrolled down to the article written below, an odd feeling swirling in his gut as he read the authors words:

_**Earlier this morning, the ex-sheriff of Beacon Hills, Jonathan Stilinski, was found guilty to having killed his 10 year old son, Genim Jonathan Stilinski. An anonymous phone call gave a tip to the police about having seen Jonathan carrying a body bag into his house around 11 PM last Sunday. Concerned, the police went to investigate, only to discover Jonathan had buried his sons body beneath the dirt in his basement. When Genim's body was removed from the scene and taken to the medical examiner, it was reported that the childs throat had been slashed with a knife, along with a few stab wounds to the stomach.**_

_**The ex-sheriff is said to have a history of drinking problems, most likely due to his wifes death from the previous year. He is being charged with 50 years in prison, no bail. His former co-workers are in a state of complete shock from the ex-sheriffs actions, but they are glad that he is behind bars.. Though they mourn the loss of the man they thought they knew, they also mourn the loss of his son, grieving for a little angel who will never again see the light of day.**_

Derek frowned heavily as he read through the article, his eyes trailing to the bottom of the page where another picture was. This time it was a picture of a little kid, smiling goofilly at the camera, one of his front teeth missing. As Derek squinted at the screen, he could clearly tell it was a picture of Stiles as a young kid. After all, his moles were still prominent as a child.

Derek sat back in his chair, his mind spinning. He didn't know what to think. Something wasn't right. The entire story was just... _fucking weird._ The picture was _clearly _Stiles. And the person in his house was _also _clearly Stiles. But how could that be if his mate was supposed to be dead?

Derek ran a hand through his hair and closed out of the internet. Was it possible that Stiles had a twin brother, and _he _was the one who was killed?

"No," Derek mumbled to himself, taking another drink of coffee. "Stiles was listed as an only child in Claudia's obituary."

That's when he thought that perhaps the sheriff had killed a _different _kid and buried him in his basement, and everyone just _thought _it was Stiles. But wouldn't somebody realize that the kid _wasn't_ Stiles? If the sheriffs co-workers had found the body bag and looked inside of it, surely they would know the difference between Stiles and some other kid. And if not the other officers, then surely Stiles' _other _relatives would have noticed at his funeral. If they _had _a funeral for him, that is. The article mentioned nothing about a funeral or a wake being held for him, which was strange.

_Derek, there _was _no funeral for him, _the Lydia sounding voice hissed. _He's sitting safely inside your house, for fucks sake._

Derek huffed and drummed his fingers on his desk. None of this made any sense. Like, _at all._ The combinations of all of the articles left him with _nothing_ but loose ends. And fuck if that wasn't saying something. He did this kind of shit every day for his job, but this was by far the most _bizarre _thing he had ever stumbled across. Not only that, but it also gave him the weirdest feeling, like he was _far _from seeing the whole picture.

As he pulled some _actual _work cases out of their files, he made a vow to himself to get to the bottom of this. No matter how long it took, he was going to figure this out. But despite the fact that he tried concentrating on his work, he couldn't help but keep thinking about one thing in particular.

If the ex-sheriff had killed some random, innocent 10 year old boy, then who was _that_ poor kid, and where was his parents? Or, if what the article said was true, and the sheriff really _did _kill his son named Genim Jonathan Stilinski, then _who _exactly was Derek's _mate_?

**XOXOXOXO**

**Oh, look, actual plot snuck in!**

**On another note, I literally have no idea how a person goes about reporting a missing person as found, so lets all just pretend that there is paperwork involved for the sake of my sanity, lol. However, if one of you guys know, please enlighten me!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note: Holy shit. All of the support that you guys gave me with my writing and about my depression is phenomenal. Like, seriously. Some of your comments made me cry because for the first time since I actually started college, you guys made me feel like I wasn't alone. That's really powerful. I knew I liked all of you for a reason, lol.**

**Oh! On a serious note, I actually figured out how to work my blog on tumblr! (Finally, after 2 years...) So that's up and running. I can guarantee that there will be a lot of Sterek and Teen Wolf, but also probably just some other things that make me enjoy life. I only have one follower so far, lol (but thank you to that person!) but I suppose that's to be expected since I just created it. So, if any of you would be kind enough to follow me, then I will love you forever! You can find me here: (http) (:/hero) (-complex) (-girl) (dottumblr) (dotcom) Just erase the parenthesis and the spaces, and replace 'dot' with a period. I don't have much up right now, but I will! ;)**

**XOXOXOXO**

Derek knew he went through at _least _4 stop signs on his way back home. Good thing there were no cops around, otherwise he would have wracked up a couple thousand bucks in driving violations in the span of a half hour. Not to mention, trying to explain his situation to an officer would be a complete train wreck.

_Well you see, officer, I was too busy thinking of my mate to pay attention to the road. Actually, his father, to be more specific. His father who used to be the sheriff of this town, but supposedly went crazy and killed his ten year old son, buried him in his basement and then got arrested and put in jail for the next fifty years for murder. Oh, but here's the kicker, officer! His son, the one he killed, is sitting in my house right now with my sister. Weird, right?_

Derek rolled his eyes at himself as he got out of his car, feeling like an idiot. This whole thing was getting to his head. It was all just so _weird_, but he really couldn't think of anything else the entire time he was at work. In fact, he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he had spilled cold coffee down the front of his shirt, _completely_ zoned out while he was on the phone with another FBI agent, and worst of all, he collided with Lydia before he left the building, which had sent the furious red-head flying to the floor. Looking down at her with wide eyes, he hadn't been able to form a proper sentence, instead just blurting out random words of apology and gesturing uselessly with his hands. Lydia had just glared icy daggers at him and ordered him to go home and "get his fucking act together."

Derek had never left work so fast in his _life._

Derek sighed wearily to himself as he waited for the elevator to stop at his floor. It felt like a giant, crushing weight was resting on his shoulders. And not even from his _actual _work load. No, work he could deal with. He was never emotionally invested in any of his clients or investigations. However, anything having to do with _Stiles _hit home. He couldn't just blissfully ignore what he found. Lord knows he had already tried that 100 different times today. But every time he tried ignoring it, the image of Stiles sleeping in Derek's bed, tossing and turning with a nightmare and calling out for his 'daddy' appeared in Derek's mind. It made him feel guilty, like the _least _he owed Stiles was to find his father. Even if it led them to a prison, but hey. At least Stiles would know that his dad was alive. And it's not like Derek wouldn't allow Stiles to visit his father. Murderer or not, that wouldn't be fair to his mate.

As Derek stepped out of the elevator and rounded the corner, it was just his luck to bump into someone, sending the unfortunate person crashing to the carpeted floor.

"Fuck, sorry!" Derek exclaimed, reaching out a hand to help pull the mystery guy up.

Familiar hazel eyes looked up at him wearily and rose an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, Danny!" Derek said, helping his neighbor to his feet. "I apologize. I've been having kind of an off day."

"I can tell," Danny replied, suspiciously eyeing Derek's coffee stained shirt. "Hopefully it gets better for you."

"Yeah, doubt it," Derek muttered under his breath.

Danny chuckled. "That's why I never wanted to be an FBI agent. My mom wanted me to, but I shut that idea down pretty quick."

Derek smiled at him. "Sometimes I wonder _myself _why I became one. Some weeks can be so stressful that it makes me want to tear my hair out, but that feeling goes away when I solve a big case. It kind of feels like the worlds been lifted off my shoulders."

Danny smiled. "Must be a good feeling. I'm guessing you're stuck in the middle of one right now?"

"More than you could possibly imagine," Derek replied, chuckling darkly. "But how's your job coming along? You still designing clothes?"

"Yup!" Danny said, face lighting up. "My next line comes out in a few months. Fashion design has always been my dream, ever since I was a little kid."

Derek rose an eyebrow at that, a random question circling in his mind. "Have you lived in Beacon Hills your whole life?"

Danny nodded his head. "Technically, I was born in Washington, but my parents moved here when I was a couple months old. So, yeah. I've lived here all twenty-eight years of my life. That's a long time to stay in one place."

Derek hummed in agreement, a ball starting to roll in his mind. "Would you say Beacon Hills has gotten larger since you were a kid, or has it stayed the same?"

Danny squinted his eyes as he thought about the question, hand scratching at his cheek. "Well, I think it's gotten a _little _more populated, but that's pretty much a given in the span of nearly thirty years. The people here used to be so... _close._ Now hardly anyone knows their neighbors."

"_Close_, huh?" Derek murmured, frowning a little.

"Yeah," Danny continued, waving a hand in the air. "You know, everybody sort of knew everyone. Even if it wasn't on a personal level, you at least knew most of everyone's name."

"I see," Derek pondered. "Did you... uh, well, never mind."

"What?" Danny asked, blinking at Derek.

Derek scratched at the back of his head, wondering if he was _actually _going to go down this road.

_Yes. Yes you are_, his mind supplied for him. With an air of new determination, he looked Danny square in the eyes.

"Do you recall a Jonathan Stilinski, by any chance?"

Danny nibbled on his bottom lip, eyes staring hard at the wall next to them as if it held all the answers he needed. "Stilinski, Stilinski, why does that name sound so familiar?" Danny muttered.

"Oh, apparently he used to be the sheriff a few years back," Derek supplied nonchalantly. "Before I moved to Beacon Hills."

Danny's face lit up and he snapped his fingers in triumph. "Ah! Yes. Sheriff Stilinski. The only cop I ever liked. He was a good man." Danny then frowned a little. "I'm surprised I remember that. He resigned when I was in my early twenties. Gosh, that seems like it was ages ago."

"A good man?" Derek asked.

Danny nodded his head yes. Derek listened to Danny's heartbeat as he answered, and it was completely steady. Well, just because the sheriff was nice in the public eye didn't mean he was a good man at home.

"Do you know exactly why he resigned?"

Danny let out a small sigh, his expression going a little sad. "Yeah. His son actually went missing. God, he must have had the entire police force out searching for him. Half the town, too. It went on for an entire year, but they never found anything. I can only guess that he felt like he had failed at his job. That's probably why he quit. They never did find Stiles, though. It was like he just... _vanished_."

"Stiles?" Derek asked dumbly, his mates nick name ringing loud in his ears. "Did you say _Stiles_?"

"Yeah." Danny gave him a half smile. "That's what his son liked to be called."

Derek could feel his heart racing in his chest. Thankfully Danny wasn't a werewolf, otherwise he would been giving Derek some funny looks.

"Did you know this _Stiles_?" Derek asked in a rush, not even realizing that he had inched closer to the other man.

"Uh, yeah," Danny replied, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "_Everyone _knew him. It was kind of hard not to. He was so hyper and friendly. Not to mention talkative. I swear, that boy could have made friends with a rock."

Derek felt a gentle smile tug at his lips. It was very reassuring to know that Stiles had not been skittish and quiet his entire life, to know that Stiles had once been happy and brim-full with spirit. Derek _really _hoped that he could be the one to help Stiles ignite that spark once more.

"I don't mean to pry, Derek, but why exactly do you want to know this?" Danny asked. "Is it for one of your cases?"

Derek nodded, dumbfounded. "Yeah, sort of. It's more of a _personal _case, I guess you could say." Derek thought for a moment before speaking once more. "So, Stiles was the sheriffs _son_, correct?"

Danny nodded, raising an eyebrow.

"And, did they publicly announce him as missing?"

"Boy, did they _ever_," Danny replied, eyes going wide. "It was all over the news, the internet, even a couple billboards. And like I said, nearly the whole town went searching for him. It was major news at the time. I mean, it's not every day the sheriffs kid gets kidnapped."

"Exactly," Derek murmured. "That's what I was thinking to myself when no articles came up about his missing son."

Danny just looked at him incredulously. "Um, what?"

Derek ran a hand through his hair, the gears in his head turning at full speed. "None of this makes sense," he groaned.

Danny cast a look over to his door, biting his bottom lip. "Look," Danny said in a low voice, turning his gaze back onto Derek. "I _really _don't know what's going on, but you've got me interested. I... if there is some way that I can help with your case, don't hesitate to knock on my door."

Derek squinted his eyes slightly, trying to figure out if Danny was being serious. He was, going by his heartbeat. For a brief moment, Derek was going to decline the offer. _He _was the FBI agent. _He _was the one who was supposed to put all of the clues together. However, Derek _knew _that would be a foolish thing to do. He had somebody right in front of him that remembered a _huge_ event that Derek hadn't been present for. For all Derek knew, Danny might hold they key to some answers and explanations.

Besides, despite the lack of proper communication that _most _neighbors had, Derek had always sort of liked Danny. He was quiet and polite and hard-working. Not to mention, Derek knew he had been arrested before for hacking into peoples records when he was younger. Multiple times, might he add. That meant that Danny was a genius with technology. Surely _that _could come in handy.

Derek swallowed thickly and nodded his head. "Ok, yeah. I, uh, I could use your help. Are you leaving right now?"

"Oh, no," Danny denied. "My mate is just craving one of those candy bars from the fancy vending machine downstairs. I'll be back up in a few minutes."

"Great. Do you mind if I pop over in ten minutes?"

"Not at all," Danny replied, his smile revealing a set of dimples.

"Great. Thanks," Derek sighed in relief, walking briskly to his door as Danny waited for the elevator.

Derek didn't bother knocking since it was his own house, but he _did_ open the door a little slowly so he didn't accidentally frighten Stiles. As he stepped inside the door, his body immediately relaxed, most of the stress melting off of his bones as he got a scent of his mates sweet, calming smell.

"There you are, big bro," Laura chirped as Derek closed the door behind him. "How was your first day back at work?"

"Fine," Derek said, shrugging. Due to the suspicious look Laura was giving him, he knew she didn't believe him. "Lot's of paperwork."

"Right," she murmured, staring at him for a few moments before shaking herself out of her reverie. "Well, me and Stiles had fun! We watched a few movies, ate some good food, I told him some embarrassing stories about you-"

Derek growled low in his throat.

Laura held up her hands in surrender. "Whoa, I kid, I kid. But we _did _have a good time." Laura cast a smile over to where Stiles was sitting at the counter eating a banana. Then her face became a bit more serious as she leaned closer to Derek. "For some reason, he's been... _tense_. Like, he can't get comfortable. Or something's on his mind."

Derek frowned slightly as he cast a look towards his mate. He looked fine to Derek as he sat there, but Laura was right. He could just barely make out the spicy scent of anxiety, making his nose twitch.

"I thought it was because you left for a while, but I don't think that's it," Laura whispered. She shrugged a little. "Maybe you both need some quality cuddling time. So, I'll just get out of your hair. Bye Stiles! I'll see you tomorrow, cutie!"

Stiles batted his lashes shyly and gave her a small smile. "Ok."

"Thanks for watching him," Derek said gratefully before she walked out the door.

"No problem, little bro," Laura said, grinning like a shark as she breezed out the door.

Derek walked over to where Stiles was seated and sat down next to the omega. "Hey, little one," Derek said, grazing the back of his fingers gently across Stiles' cheek. "How was your day? Did you do ok without me here?"

Stiles gave him a small, amused smile. "I'm not a toddler, Derek. I can be on my own every once in a while."

Derek chuckled. "I just wanted to know if you were ok or not. Sometimes when alphas and omegas part for the first time, it doesn't go so well."

"I'm fine," Stiles replied, avoiding Derek's gaze. Derek raised his eyebrows when he caught a whiff of stress radiate off of Stiles. But it wasn't only stress. It was like... like a physical blockade had been set between them. Which was really quite ridiculous since Derek was currently rubbing small circles into Stiles' back. But Derek could, well, he could _feel _it, even if it confused the hell out of him. It just made his wolf want to whine loudly.

"Are you sure?" Derek prompted, stroking the brunettes soft hair. "You seem sort of tense."

Stiles swallowed audibly and nodded his head yes.

Well, Derek wasn't having any of that.

Derek smiled smugly at the small squeal Stiles let out when the alpha lifted him effortlessly into his arms. The omega instantly looped his arms around Derek's neck, not wanting to be dropped. He looked at Derek quizzically, their faces inches apart. Derek just smiled at him, ignoring the weird pressure-like tension between them.

Derek didn't put him down until they were at the couch, setting him gently in the middle of the cushions as he quickly toed his shoes off. He then sat beside Stiles on the couch and carefully dragged the omega onto his lap, Stiles' back pressing firmly against Derek's chest. For a moment, he thought he had gone a bit too far with the touching due to the up tick of Stiles heartbeat. But he didn't smell any fear, and Stiles made a small, curious noise, so Derek mentally sighed in relief.

"What are you doing?" Stiles asked softly, craning his neck to peer up at Derek with wide, curious eyes.

Derek smirked. "Well, growing up in my house, when someone was having a bad day, we would try to cheer them up."

Stiles blinked innocently. "By having them sit in your lap?"

Derek grinned. "Nope. By _tickling _them."

A startled look flashed across Stiles face and he opened his mouth to say something, but Derek's fingers were quicker. They trailed down to Stiles' belly and wriggled over the cloth-covered flesh.

Stiles squealed with laughter, his little giggles making Derek's heart soar. As much as Stiles tried to squirm away from Derek's hands, he couldn't. He just ended up pressing more firmly into Derek's chest, his own hands clutching weakly at Derek's wrist.

"Ok, stop!" Stiles managed to say in between giggles. Derek just gave a small laugh himself and continued his tickling, his wolf absolutely loving the way Stiles was squirming against him.

"Derek!" Stiles squealed, his head thrown back onto Derek's shoulder. Laughter shone brightly in his eyes. Derek just laughed along with him for a few moments before he stopped with his tickle attack.

Stiles' chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, completely boneless in Derek's arms.

"Feeling better?" Derek asked.

Stiles half-heartedly flicked at Derek's wrist, slowly turning in the alphas arms so they were facing each other. He sat on Derek's muscular thighs and blinked up at him with a small smile.

"I didn't feel bad in the first place," Stiles replied, resting his hands on Derek's shoulders.

Derek smiled softly at him, gently placing his hands on Stiles' hips. "I... I know. It's just that, it feels like there's something separating us." Derek swallowed thickly and whispered, "My wolf doesn't like it... _I _don't like it."

Stiles fingers twitched where they were resting on Derek's shoulders, and his heart skipped a few beats. The smile slowly slipped off of his face and he averted his eyes to the carpet. He tried to slowly move off of Derek's lap, but Derek wrapped an arm around his waist, keeping him firmly in place.

"Hey," Derek said gently, lifting Stiles' chin with his fingers. Amber eyes blinked up at him, filled with a look of something Derek couldn't quite place. "What's wrong, baby?"

Stiles licked at his bottom lip, eyes shifting from side to side. Derek started to get increasingly worried as the omegas heartbeat started to thump faster and faster. The weird tension was back, crackling between them with full force. It made his wolf very distraught.

"Stiles, talk to me, sweetheart," Derek urged.

Stiles blinked up at Derek with his thick lashes, cheeks turning a beautiful shade of pink as his eyes fell to Derek's lips and-

_Oh_.

Derek understood now. Why the hell hadn't he picked up on it before? The tension between them wasn't anything bad at all, as Derek had first thought. It was just sexual tension. Stiles was nervous around him because the omega wanted a kiss, but he was too afraid to act on his impulse.

_Stiles wants a kiss._

The words floated through Derek's mind like a dream, only _this _was real life. And Stiles _really_ wanted to kiss him.

_Well don't just sit there_, the Lydia sounding voice hissed. _Kiss him already! After everything he's been through, he deserves to get something that he wants. You know he doesn't ask for things, so give him what he wants!_

If Derek had been in his wolf form, his tail would have been waging a mile a minute.

"Stiles," Derek said softly, a gentle smile on his lips. "Do you want to kiss me?"

The blush on his mates face got even darker as he got more flustered. He scratched awkwardly at his cheek, shyly nodding his head yes.

Derek needed no further prompting. He pulled Stiles forward against this chest and tilted his head slightly. Their lips were just inches apart, but Derek stopped before they touched, wanting to give the reigns to Stiles just so Derek _knew _that it was really what his mate wanted.

Everything was silent, all of Derek's focus tuning into his mate. He studied Stiles' face with heavily lidded eyes, committing the sight of the omegas flushed cheeks and pretty, sparkling eyes to his memory. The sight made his stomach clench with desire as he wet his bottom lip with his tongue.

The tiny movement shifted Stiles' gaze to Derek's lips. The omega blinked languidly, a tiny, soft noise escaping from his throat before he clumsily pressed his lips against Derek's.

Derek couldn't help but smile like an idiot against Stiles' soft lips. It was perfectly clear to him that Stiles had no experience with kissing. That much was obvious by the way Stiles' lips had landed half on, half off of Derek's lips. Not to mention, his lips were too firm, like he was pressing them together for a movie kiss. Derek didn't mind one bit, though. It meant that he was the only one who had ever kissed his mate, and he could help Stiles slowly get the hang of it.

Derek broke the kiss, feeling a bit guilty at the way Stiles' face fell. He soothed him by stroking the backs of his fingers down a smooth cheek. "Like this," he whispered, guiding his own lips back to Stiles'. This time, their lips fit together perfectly, Stiles' bottom lip pillowed between both of Derek's. The soft, constant pressure made Derek sigh happily through his nose, eyes slipping closed as his hand cupped a pale cheek, his other arm around Stiles' waist and pulling him impossibly closer.

Derek held back a moan when he felt his mate thread a hand carefully through his hair, not tugging, just simply holding. It felt as if time was standing still and just the two of them existed, intertwined in such a tenderly, soft embrace. The tension that had been there just seconds before had completely vanished, making the air feel light and bubbly.

Derek couldn't help himself as he pressed his lips more firmly against Stiles', a low rumble vibrating in his chest. The sound and vibration made Stiles give a small whimper, his other hand clutching at the front of Derek's shirt.

Derek pulled away briefly, the two of them breathing heavily from the sheer intensity alone. He rested his forehead against the omegas and pressed a small kiss to the tip of the upturned nose. "I don't want you to be afraid to kiss me whenever you want to, ok? Because I can guarantee you that I'll always want to kiss you back. Hell, I've wanted to kiss you since the first day I saw you. Just don't feel like you can't because you're afraid I'll be angry or reject you. I never will, baby. _Never_."

The beautiful smile that Stiles gave him would have taken his breath away if he hadn't already been out of breath. Instead, he gave a small chuckle and surged forward once more, their lips pressing together more firmly. Stiles wrapped both of his arms around Derek's neck as the alpha deepened the kiss. For the most part, Derek kept the kisses innocent. He knew Stiles kissing him in general was a huge milestone for the both of them, and he didn't want to rush into things too quickly by slipping Stiles some tongue. As pleasurable as it may be, he would save french kissing for another day.

However, that didn't stop him from planting a small trail of kisses along Stiles' face when the omega needed to stop for some air. He placed delicate kisses along the sharp cheekbones, the pert nose, the quivering eyelids, saving the warm forehead for last. He went even further and stamped a cluster of kisses onto Stiles' neck, self-indulging himself by suckling a gentle bruise onto the pale flesh. For a few lustful seconds, he eyed the claiming bite on Stiles throat, thinking about giving it some well-deserved attention. He thought better of it though, knowing it may be a bit too much at this time. The area around the claiming bite was known to be very sexually sensitive. He would give it some much deserved attention some other day.

With that in mind, he blew lightly on the area, causing the omega to give an almost violent shiver. Derek smiled smugly to himself, gently nuzzling his mates temple. Stiles just relaxed in Derek's arms until the alpha pulled back.

"Was that ok?" Derek whispered.

Stiles looked up at him through under his thick lashes and nodded. His cheeks flushed prettily as he avoided Derek's gaze, adding in a soft voice, "I liked it."

Derek grinned like an idiot before pressing one more kiss to the omegas cheek. He could have spent the rest of the day just kissing his mate, enjoying his sweet taste and innocence. Unfortunately, he had some serious business to take care of that involved him, Danny and the internet. And speaking of Danny...

"Stiles, I need to go talk to my neighbor for just a little bit. Would you like to come with me? He's a very nice guy."

Stiles thought about it for a second before nodding. Derek smiled in response, hauling the both of them up so they were standing. Derek carefully grasped Stiles' hand in his own, squeezing gently. Stiles just gave him a small smile and padded along with the alpha. Derek felt a proud smugness settle in his chest when walking out of the door didn't even faze Stiles. The entire day was just chalk full of progress.

Stiles _did _stand a bit behind Derek as the alpha knocked on Danny's door, but Derek just squeezed his hand comfortingly.

The metallic sound of a lock sliding out of place brought Derek's full attention to the door. There was silence for a few moments before the door swung open. Derek had a polite smile plastered on his face, all ready for Danny to open the door, but the person standing on the other side made his eyes go wide and the smile to slip off, a shocked expression taking over instead.

"_Jackson_?" Derek sputtered, not quite believing his eyes.

Jackson just smirked at him and leaned against the doorway, arms folding across his chest. "Derek, Stiles," the omega greeted, nodding his head at them with that damn smirk still in place. Then, almost comically, the smart ass look fell from his face, a startled look taking over instead as he added once more in bewildered voice, "Derek! Stiles!"

"Jackson?" Stiles' small voice spoke up, heavy with tears.

That was all the prompting Jackson needed before he was shoving Derek out of the way and wrapping Stiles in a big bear hug. Derek was bit surprised when Stiles embraced him back, but he wasn't jealous. The night when Derek had saved his mate, Jackson had been very adamant about saving Stiles, about helping him survive. Chances were that the two omegas had formed somewhat of a friendship in the Argent's basement. And considering the two were found chained up away from everyone else, they probably only had each other to talk to.

"Christ, look at you!" Jackson exclaimed, grinning at Stiles. "Fuck, you look so _good_, Stiles! You're freaking alive! You look so healthy! Look at that nice flush on your cheeks. And is that a _hickey_ I see?" Jackson sent a vicious grin towards Derek. "You're taking care of him _really _well, aren't you?"

Derek shook his head a little, making him slip out of his dumbfounded stupor. "Yes, I am. And it's really thanks to you. Your advice worked."

"Of course it did," Jackson replied, the cocky smirk making a reappearance. "I assume _you're _the person Danny's waiting for?"

"Yeah," Derek responded, raising an eyebrow. "And _you're _his mate, aren't you?"

"The one and only!"

"Ah, Derek! Come in," Danny's voice sounded as he appeared in the doorway. He blinked at Stiles for a few moments before smiling gently. "Oh, hello."

"Danny," Derek said, moving next to Stiles and placing a gentle hand on his lower back. The omega pressed closer to Derek's warmth. "This is my mate. Actually, you've met him before."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Danny apologized, giving Stiles a please-forgive-me smile. "I must have been in a hurry or something. I don't remember."

"Actually, you probably don't remember because it was a long time ago," Derek replied. "His name is Genim. Genim Stilinski, but he likes to be called Stiles."

Derek could hear Danny's breath catch in his throat, his eyes growing wide. He stared for a few moments at Derek before shifting his attention to Stiles, eyes sliding back and forth between the two of them for a full minute of silence.

"Stiles?" Danny asked, the question coming out in an odd, high tone. "Christ, I... I remember when you were a little kid, and you... I just, _fuck_, I can't believe you're standing in front of me right now. This is so, so _surreal_." He finished his rambling and just looked Stiles up and down, his heart beating erratically in his chest.

"Babe," Jackson spoke up, stepping next to Danny. "Your heart's about to beat out of your chest. Calm down, please." He pressed a kiss to Danny's cheek, which visibly calmed the human.

"Sorry," Danny said, shaking himself out of his stupor. "Come on. Come inside."

The four of them walked into Danny's place, which mimicked the look of Derek's house, only Danny's was backwards and it had more color to it. It was also more personalized, pictures of Danny and Jackson hanging on the walls and a few items of clothing strewn about the couch and floor.

Derek felt Stiles pull away from him, only to watch him go sit on the couch with Jackson. Derek was pleased to see that Stiles was perfectly comfortable in the other omegas' presence.

"When you said the case was personal," Danny murmured to Derek. "I didn't know you meant it quite so _literally_."

"Does he look a little bit familiar?" Derek asked.

Danny cocked his head as he studied Stiles' form. "A little bit. He's got the same eyes, the same moles. He's just a bit more grown up. He's filled out. He looks... _good_."

"Thanks. I... I found him in such horrible condition. It's nice to know that I've taken good care of him."

"So, how exactly do him and Jackson know each other?"

Derek flashed Danny a worried look. "Actually, I found them both in the basement of the Argent estate. They were chained up next to each other. Stiles was unconscious and... and even though Jackson was chained up, I was almost convinced that he was going to bust out of them and attack me if I touched Stiles." Derek gave a small chuckle. "He was very protective of him."

Danny smiled gently and turned loving eyes over to Jackson. "That's Jackson for you. He sometimes acts like a douche, but it's all just an act."

"I can hear every word you're saying," Jackson growled from his spot on the couch, scowling playfully at his mate.

Danny just laughed before he led Derek down the hallway and into his office. He sat down in front of a desk with a black laptop sitting on it, motioning for Derek to take the other free chair. As Danny booted up the laptop, Derek glanced at him from out the corner of his eye.

"How long was Jackson missing?" Derek asked in a soft, delicate voice.

Danny sent him a sad smile. "Only two months, but it felt like a thousand years. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't _live. _It was like, like somebody just ripped my heart out of my chest, almost like I couldn't _breathe_." His eyes grew a bit warmer. "But then I got a call in the middle of the night about a month ago telling me that they found Jackson. The little shit was refusing to be checked over by the medical teams, said he just wanted to come home. So I booked it over there, and no sooner had I ran into the holding room when he threw himself into my arms. That... that was the first time I've ever seen him cry."

Derek chuckled. "Sounds like a lovely reunion."

Danny smiled to himself, turning his attention to the laptop to type in his password. "It was. It _definitely _was. It resulted in the conception of our first child."

Derek's eyes widened in shock. "Oh? Jackson, he's pregnant? Wow, that's... _wow_! Congratulations."

Danny beamed at Derek, his face ridiculously happy. Derek could already tell he would make a great father. And honestly, Derek thought Jackson would too. He would be a giant mama bear, but a fantastic one.

"Yup," Danny answered. "He's about a month along now. We were both a bit shocked at first, but what _else_ were we expecting when he hadn't taken his birth control in two months? But now we're both very excited to be adding a little one to the house. Jackson's already been looking through baby catalogues. He doesn't know that I know that, though. He's been hiding them under the couch cushions, but I found them. The pile is getting progressively larger."

Derek laughed loudly, finding the mental image funny. But as his laughter faded away, he couldn't help but think about him and Stiles. Would they ever have children? Have a small litter of pups? He tried to picture it, tried picturing a tiny, squirming wolf pup nestled in Stiles' arms. Or even a human child dozing in Stiles' hold. It all made his heart flutter a little faster. The thought appealed greatly to his wolf, but he knew that babies were going to have to be put on hold for a while. Though Stiles was making progress, he definitely wasn't in the right mental state to be carrying pups anytime soon.

Danny's fingers clacking over the keyboard brought Derek's attention back to the present.

"What are you looking up?" Derek asked, scooting even closer to see the screen.

"Well," Danny replied, looking at Derek. "What you said earlier about no articles coming up for Stiles' name really made me curious. So I'm gonna try and type in his name first, just so I can sort of get a good idea about what I'm working with."

Things were silent for a few moments as Danny typed in Stiles' name. The same results as before popped up, making Derek's skin itch with the need to _understand._ Danny just frowned at the screen and scratched at his chin.

"Very strange," the human commented, concentrating hard on the Google page. "There should be _dozens _of articles. Something is very off."

"I know," Derek murmured. "A couple pages over I found an article on how Stiles' father resigned as the sheriff."

Danny clicked over a few pages and found the same article, eyes swiftly scanning the page. "Yeah, I remember this," he commented. "This is all very familiar."

"Ok," Derek replied. "Then after looking at _that _page, I typed Sheriff Stilinski's name into the search bar, and the results were very... _disturbing. _And confusing. I just... I don't know what to make of it."

Danny nodded, erasing Stiles' name and copying Derek's earlier actions. Derek watched as the human frowned deeply.

"That's fucking weird," Danny whispered, like he was afraid to speak any louder. "There should be tons of articles. Sure, it's been a couple years, but those articles should be front and center."

Derek cocked his head to one side and gave a small sigh. "Well, there was _one _thing I found." Derek moved his finger over the mouse pad and clicked over a couple of pages, finding the same horrifying article that he had read earlier. As he opened the page, he heard Danny's heart tick a bit faster. most likely from reading the headline.

Danny leaned in close to the screen, a look of shock on his face. He rapidly read through the article, his heart hammering loudly in Derek's ears all the while.

"No," the human said in a flat voice when he was done reading. "No, no, no." He turned his hard expression to Derek before looking towards the doorway. "You're mate is Genim 'Stiles' Stilinski, correct?"

Derek nodded his head yes.

"And I know for a fact that he's sitting in my living room," Danny mumbled to himself, running a hand through his hair.

"Did he have any brothers or sisters?"

"No." Danny shook his head. "Just him."

"Did his father ever baby sit other children?"

"He was too busy to do that. Especially when his wife died. He had to turn into a full time dad _and _money-maker in the blink of an eye."

"Then I don't get it," Derek groaned, pulling at his hair. "How did he supposedly kill the child that's sitting peacefully in your living room?"

They sat quietly for a few minutes, a look of concentration on Danny's face. The human stared hard at the screen for a while, as if the answers would somehow jump right out at him. He drummed his fingers on the desk for a couple of seconds before freezing. He blinked a few times before sending Derek a guilty look out of the corner of his eye.

Derek rose an eyebrow, wondering what exactly the look was-

_Oh._

Derek smirked. "I'm not going to haul you off to jail if you so anything illegal right now."

Danny just gave a small sigh of relief, cracking his fingers loudly before typing some sort of code into the keyboard. Derek's eyes widened when a black screen popped up, full of a bunch of numbers and symbols that made zero sense to the werewolf.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Derek asked, nibbling his lip anxiously.

Danny gave a small snort, but kept his eyes glued to the screen. "Of course I do. Don't even try to tell me you haven't looked up my arrest records before."

Derek blushed and kept silent, causing Danny to smirk.

After a few of the longest moments of Derek's life, Danny hit the enter button and something new appeared on the black screen. There was a lot less jumbles of numbers and some of the words actually made sense to Derek. He was about to ask Danny what everything meant, but the human was concentrating hard on the text in front of him.

After a moment, the human sat back and looked at Derek. "Well, I can assure you of one thing."

"What?" Derek asked urgently.

"The page is fake. It looks pretty damn real, but it's not. Whoever created it _really _knew what they were doing."

Derek felt a lot of tension melt from his body, a sigh of relief escaping his mouth. So Stiles' father _wasn't_ a killer. That news was so good to hear. It could make Derek rest a bit easier now.

"How do you know that?" the werewolf questioned, slumping in his chair.

"Right here." Danny pointed to a set of numbers on the right-hand side of the screen. "That number is the amount of views that this page has received in total. Only three-thousand and eighty-one views. For a page that was created over four years ago, those stats should be _way _up. Especially if it was news about the sheriff killing his kid."

"But the article _is _a few pages in. I know not a lot of people bother looking that deep," Derek pointed out.

"Well, that's the other thing."

"There's more?" Derek asked, getting more and more curious as the seconds ticked by.

"Yes. Like I said, this person _really _knew what they were doing. They made it appear a couple pages in _on purpose. _They probably knew the article would attract some serious attention if it was front and center. My guess is they made it appear later in the search pages because they didn't want anybody like me sniffing out their rat."

"Hm. Well, I'm glad you did. This puts my mind a little at ease," Derek sighed. "But I don't really understand why they would even bother in the first place. I mean, why create a story that could cause a big commotion if you're just going to shove it on the back burner?"

Danny shrugged, squinting at some of the finer print on the web page. "If I had to guess, I'd say they were trying to cover something up without drawing too much unwanted attention." Danny paused for a moment, a weird look crossing his face. "In fact, I'd bet my next months rent on that theory."

Derek looked at him curiously. "And you say that because...?"

"Because this article was published online from a public library in Las Vegas. And they used one of the library's computers, not their own. Whoever wrote it definitely didn't want to be caught."

"Jesus," Derek mumbled. "Do you know how many people probably visit a public library there every month?"

Danny snorted. "Do you know how many people probably visit there every _day?_"

"Good point," Derek grumbled. "Well, doesn't the author of that article have a name on it somewhere?"

"Of course it does. But I can guarantee you already that it's fake," Danny replied matter-of-factly. "They went through all the trouble to post it from Las Vegas. They definitely weren't about to screw that all up by putting their real name."

Derek sighed. "I suppose you're right about that one. Although, this all makes me wonder about where Stiles' dad really is then."

"That I _can't _help you with," Danny said, closing his laptop. "Sorry."

"No, no, don't be sorry. You just helped me with so much. Thank you!"

Danny smiled at him, dimples and all. "No problem." His eyes shifted towards the door and he licked his lips. In a quieter tone he added, "So, does Stiles know about any of this?"

Derek's silence was his answer.

"Right," Danny whispered, rubbing his eyes. "You should probably tell him."

"I will," Derek responded, the two of the getting up from their chairs. "Once I find Jonathan Stilinski."

"What if you don't?"

"I _will_." The look on Derek's face was so serious that Danny did nothing but nod his head in acceptance.

The two made their way back out to the living room, finding the two omegas sitting on the couch and talking. Stiles face was full of a healthy flush and his eyes shimmered with happiness. Derek smiled to himself, liking the way his mate looked so animated and lively.

"Derek, I really think you need to buy him some new clothes," Danny said, taking in the large sweatshirt and sweatpants Stiles was wearing. The sweater was so large on the omega that the collar of it was hanging off one of Stiles shoulders, exposing the lovely, pale flesh to everyone's eyes.

"Yeah, Derek," Jackson spoke up, smirk firmly in place. "He _reeks_ of you."

Danny just sighed and Derek rolled his eyes.

Derek knew that Danny was right, though. Stiles had been only wearing Derek's clothes for the last month. Yes, he smelled _wonderful _drenched in Derek's scent, but he really needed some clothes that actually fit _him._ Not to mention Stiles just needed to get outside and get some fresh air. It wasn't good to be cooped up for so long.

Derek smiled to himself as he mentally started making plans. Yes, he would take Stiles shopping tomorrow. It would be an adventure.

**XOXOXOXO**

**MAYDAY MAYDAY! Guys, holy fuck! So, there's this dude on my campus who freaking looks like Dylan O'Brien in The Internship! Like, he wears the beanie, the black, thick glasses and he's even got the cute little moles! His face is a bit rounder, but I swear to god, when I first saw him I literally stopped in my tracks cuz I thought it was Dylan. Ha, and then like an idiot I just stared at him and he just blinked at me. It was all so awkward. I bet he thought I was totally drooling over him, when really I was wondering if he likes to take it up the ass. Ha, I'm **_**sooo **_**glad people can't hear my thoughts. I'd be screwed...**


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